Arthur Cole (April 22, 1886 - February 26 1976) was an American historian. He specialized in the history of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and taught at several universities over the course of his career, including

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

(1912 to 1920),

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

(1920 to 1930),

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

(1930 to 1944), and finally

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

, where he served as Chair of the History Department from 1950 to 1956 and retired as Professor Emeritus. Cole was born April 22, 1886, in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

. He attended the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, where received his bachelor's degree in 1907. He then enrolled at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, where he studied under Professor

Herman Vandenburg Ames Herman Vandenburg Ames (; August 7, 1865 – February 7, 1935) was an American Law of the United States, legal historian, archivist, and professor of United States constitutional history at the University of Pennsylvania and, from 1907 to 1928, ...

. He received his doctorate in 1911. Cole's first monograph, ''The Whig Party in the South'', won the Justin Winsor Prize of the

American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world, claiming over 10,000 members. Founded in 1884, AHA works to protect academic free ...

in 1912. Cole's speech regarding

Lincoln's House Divided Speech The House Divided Speech was an address given by senatorial candidate and future president of the United States Abraham Lincoln, on June 16, 1858, at what was then the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, after he had accepted the Illino ...

was published by the

University of Chicago Press The University of Chicago Press is the university press of the University of Chicago, a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is the largest and one of the oldest university presses in the United States. It pu ...

in 1923. His third book, titled ''Irrepressible Conflict, 1850-65'', was a social, economic, and cultural history of the Civil War and was published by

Macmillan Publishers Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd in the United Kingdom and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC in the United States) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be on ...

in 1934. Over the course of his career, Cole was prominent in the

American Association of University Professors The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States that was founded in 1915 in New York City and is currently headquartered in Washington, D.C. AAUP membership inc ...

, as well as the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

. He also served as president of the Mississippi Historical Association and managing editor of the '' Mississippi Valley Historical Review''.

Books

*
The Whig Party In The South
' (London:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 1913). *
The Era of the Civil War, 1848-1870
' (Chicago:

A. C. McClurg A. C. McClurg was a stationer, publisher, and book wholesaler for over 120 years in Chicago, Illinois. The business began in 1844 as Chicago's first stationery store and first retail bookstore', changing hands several times, often as the result of ...

, 1922). *
Lincoln's House Divided Speech: Did It Reflect a Doctrine of Class Struggle? - An Address Delivered Before The Chicago Historical Society On March 15, 1923
', 36 pages, (Chicago:

, 1923). * ''The Irrepressible Conflict, 1850-1865'' (New York:

, 1934).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Arthur Charles 1886 births 1976 deaths Brooklyn College faculty 20th-century American historians 20th-century American male writers American male non-fiction writers University of Michigan alumni