Anderson Hunter Dupree (January 29, 1921 – November 30, 2019) was an American historian and one of the pioneer historians of the

history of science and technology The history of science and technology (HST) is a field of history that examines the development of the understanding of the natural world (science) and humans' ability to manipulate it (technology) at different points in time. This academic discip ...

in the United States. He died in November 2019 at the age of 98.

Early education

The son of a lawyer, George W. Dupree, and his wife, Sarah Hunter, he attended

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

, where he earned his bachelor of arts degree (

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

) in 1942. Upon completion of his undergraduate work, he served the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

from 1942 to 1946, and became a Lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve. At the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Dupree married Marguerite Louise (Betty) Arnold (c. 1918-May 27, 2014) of Seattle on July 18, 1946, having two children including the historian Marguerite Dupree and the

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

maker Anderson H. Dupree. Hunter Dupree entered

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, where he completed his master's degree in 1947, and his Ph.D. in 1952, having written his doctoral dissertation on

Asa Gray Asa Gray (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) is considered the most important American botany, botanist of the 19th century. His ''Darwiniana'' (1876) was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessaril ...

, titled "Asa Gray: The Development of a Statesman of Science, 1810–1848". Marguerite earned a Ph.D. in history from Harvard and also taught at universities.

Academic career

In 1950, Dupree took up his first academic position as assistant professor of history at Texas Technological College (now

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...

) in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

, where he remained until 1952, when he was appointed a research fellow at the Gray Herbarium at

. He served two appointments there in 1952–54 and 1955–56. In addition, he served as project director on grants at the

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

, 1953-55. In 1956, the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

appointed Dupree as visiting assistant professor of history, then promoted to associate professor in 1958, and professor of history in 1961. He served additionally as assistant to the

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

in 1960–62, and director of the Bancroft Library in 1965–66. In addition, Dupree was a consultant to the committee on science and public policy at the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

in 1963–64. He remained at Berkeley until 1968. Despite being a competent

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, Dupree's tenure in the Bancroft Library directorship was brief and stormy. He was appointed to the directorship in June 1965 but clashed repeatedly with the staff over library internal policy, which sparked a near-revolution among its employees. Part of the disagreement involved Dupree's emphasis on modernizing traditional library practices and the way collections, particularly

manuscripts A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has c ...

, were handled in the collections. He also required an accounting for long-term projects on which the library devoted resources but could show few actual results. In January 1966 The UC-Berkeley president returned him to the history faculty that same June. In 1968,

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

appointed Dupree George L. Littlefield Professor of History, a position he held until his retirement in 1981. While in this post, he served as a consultant to the Panel on Science and Technology and Astronautics, U.S. House of Representatives, 1969–73; trustee of the American Textile History Museum, a member of the NASA Historical Advisory Committee, and the Atomic Energy Commission's Historical Advisory Committee.

Awards

* In 1976, he received the Presidential Award of the

New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), originally founded as the Lyceum of Natural History in January 1817, is a nonprofit professional society based in New York City, with more than 20,000 members from 100 countries. It is the fourth-oldes ...

and was selected as a Fellow, Center for Advanced Studies, National Humanities Center in 1978-79.''Who's Who'' on-line * In 1990, he was awarded the

George Sarton Medal The George Sarton Medal is the most prestigious award given by the History of Science Society. It has been awarded annually since 1955. It is awarded to a historian of science from the international community who became distinguished for "a lifet ...

Published works

• 'Some Letters from

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

to Jeffries Wyman', ''Isis'' Vol.42, Part 2., No.128. (June, 1951), pp. 104–110. • '

Thomas Nuttall Thomas Nuttall (5 January 1786 – 10 September 1859) was an English botanist and zoologist who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841. Nuttall was born in the village of Long Preston, near Settle in the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

's Controversy With

', ''Rhodora'', Vol. 54, (1952), pp. 293–303. • 'Science vs. the Military: Dr. James Morrow and the

Perry Expedition ] The Perry Expedition (, , "Arrival of the Black Ships") was a diplomatic and military expedition in two separate voyages (1852–1853 and 1854–1855) to the Tokugawa shogunate () by warships of the United States Navy. The goals of this expedit ...

', ''The

Pacific Historical Review The ''Pacific Historical Review'' is the official publication of the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association. It is a quarterly academic journal published by University of California Press. It was established in 1932 under foun ...

'', vol. 22, no. 1, (1953), pp. 29–37. • ' Jeffries Wyman's views on

evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...

', ''Isis'', vol. 44 (1953), pp. 243–246. • ''Science in the Federal Government, a history of policies and activities to 1940.'' (1957, 1986). • ''

, 1810-1888'' (1959, 1968, 1988). • "What manuscripts the historian wants saved", ''Isis'', vol. 53 (1962), pp. 63–66. • '' Darwiniana; essays and reviews pertaining to

Darwinism ''Darwinism'' is a term used to describe a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others. The theory states that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural sel ...

'' by

; edited A. Hunter Dupree. (1963) • ''Science and the emergence of modern America, 1865-1916'', edited by A. Hunter Dupree. (1963) • ''Some general implications of the research of the Harvard University Program on Technology and Society'' edited by Emmanuel G. Mesthene. Comment: the anticipation of change by

Simon Ramo Simon "Si" Ramo (May 7, 1913 – June 27, 2016) was an American engineer, businessman, and author. He led development of microwave and missile technology and is sometimes known as the father of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). He ...

. Comment: Is technology predictable? by Peter F. Drucker. Comment: the role of

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

in society and the need for historical perspective by A. Hunter Dupree. Comment on the comments by Emmanuel G. Mesthene. (1969) • "The crisis in authority", ''Brown Alumni Monthly'', vol. 70, no. 1, (1969) • ''Science and society: past, present, and future'' edited by Nicholas H. Steneck with a contribution by A. Hunter Dupree (1975) • ''Sir

Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English Natural history, naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the European and American voyages of scientific exploration, 1766 natural-history ...

and the origins of science policy''. James Ford Bell Lecture; no. 22. (1984).

Manuscript collections

* Oberlin College Library RG 30/417
A. Hunter Dupree Family Papers, 1830-2002
* Brown University Library
Anderson Hunter Dupree Papers

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dupree, A. Hunter 1921 births 2019 deaths People from Hillsboro, Texas Oberlin College alumni Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers 21st-century American historians United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers American historians of science Historians of technology Historians of the United States Brown University faculty University of California, Berkeley College of Letters and Science faculty Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Historians from Texas Historians from California 20th-century American male writers Military personnel from Texas Texas Tech University faculty