David Frank Holland (born 1973) is an American professor and historian. He is currently the John A. Bartlett Professor of New England Church History at

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the religious studies, academic study of religion or for leadership role ...

, where he also was appointed as interim dean during the Fall 2024 semester. He was previously a director of graduate studies in religion at

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 ...

and an associate professor of history at

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the ...

Biography

Holland graduated summa cum laude with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in history from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

(BYU) and subsequently received a MA and

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in history from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. While he was a graduate student Holland took a summer seminar in Mormon History at BYU with

Richard Bushman Richard Lyman Bushman (born June 20, 1931) is an American historian and Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University, having previously taught at Brigham Young University, Harvard University, Boston University, and th ...

. He has held fellowships from the Mellon Foundation, the Whiting Foundation, and Yale's Center for Religion and American Life. Holland's noted articles include "From Anne Hutchinson to Horace Bushnell: A New Take on the New England Sequence" (''

The New England Quarterly ''The New England Quarterly'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal consisting of articles on New England's cultural, literary, political, and social history. The journal contains essays, interpretations of traditional texts, essay reviews, and book ...

'', 2005), and " 'A Mixed Construction of Subversion and Conversion': The Complicated Lives and Times of Religious Women" (''Gender and History'', 2010). In 2011, Holland was named the Nevada professor of the year by the

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT) is a U.S.-based education policy and research center. It was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress. Among its most not ...

Personal life

Holland is a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

, and a son of Jeffrey R. Holland and Patricia T. Holland. He previously served in the church as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, as

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

in Nevada, and as

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the Worcester Massachusetts

Stake A stake is a large wooden or metal implement designed to be driven into the ground and may refer to: Tools * Archer's stake, a defensive stake carried by medieval longbowmen * Survey stakes, markers used by surveyors * Sudis (stake) (Latin for ...

Published works

* *

References

External links

Harvard University Profile of David F. HollandHarvard Divinity School announcement of Holland's appointmentReview of Holland's ''Sacred Borders''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holland, David F. American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers Harvard Divinity School faculty Harvard Extension School faculty Brigham Young University alumni Stanford University alumni University of Nevada, Las Vegas faculty Living people American Mormon missionaries in Czechoslovakia 20th-century Mormon missionaries 1973 births Latter Day Saints from Nevada Latter Day Saints from New Hampshire American male non-fiction writers