Edwin Thomas Layton, Jr. (September 13, 1928–May 13, 2009) was an American historian. He is best known for his work on the

history of technology The history of technology is the history of the invention of tools and techniques by humans. Technology includes methods ranging from simple stone tools to the complex genetic engineering and information technology that has emerged since the 19 ...

and engineering, in particular his book ''The revolt of the engineers: social responsibility and the American profession''.

Biography

Layton was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1928. His father, Edwin T. Layton, was a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy. As a teenager, Layton (Jr.) joined the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...

. He went to college at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

for both undergraduate and graduate school. Originally majoring in chemistry, Layton graduated with a degree in history and a minor in economics, and then entered the Ph.D. program in history. His initial advisor was John Higham, but in 1954 Higham left UCLA to take a position at

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

, and George Mowry became Layton's advisor. He completed his Ph.D. in 1956.

Career

In 1956, Layton took a one-year replacement position teaching American history at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

while finishing up his Ph.D. dissertation. There, he met two other historians interested in technology, Abbot Payson Usher (who was visiting the university following his retirement from

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

) and Eugene Ferguson. Layton taught American history at

The 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 ...

from 1957 to 1961, and at

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

from 1961 to 1965. In 1961, he published his first paper, in 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 ...

. In 1965, Layton was invited to give a lecture in the History of Science Technology program at (what was then called) the

Case Institute of Technology Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...

. He took a position as a professor at Case, where he taught until 1975. In 1971, based on work from his PhD thesis, Layton published the book The Revolt of the Engineers: Social Responsibility and the American Engineering Profession. In 1975, Layton took a position as a professor of the history of science and technology at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

, where he remained until his retirement in 1998.

Awards

Layton received several awards from the

Society for the History of Technology The Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) is the primary professional society for historians of technology. SHOT was founded in 1958 in the United States, and it has since become an international society with members "from some thirty-five ...

(SHOT). In 1971, Layton was awarded SHOT's Dexter Prize. In 1990, Layton was awarded the

Leonardo da Vinci Medal The Leonardo da Vinci Medal is the highest award of the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT), and was first given in 1962. In general this award is granted annually to scholars who have contributed outstandingly to the history of technology ...

, the highest recognition from SHOT. Layton served as vice president and president of the SHOT from 1983 to 1986. In 2020, SHOT announced the Martha Trescott Prize, which is offered in honor of Layton, Frances McConnell Moore, and

Carroll Pursell Carroll may refer to: People * Carroll (given name) * Carroll (surname) * O'Carroll, also known as Carroll, a Gaelic Irish clan * Mac Cearbhaill, anglicised as Carroll, a Gaelic Irish clan Places Australia * Carroll, New South Wales United Stat ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Layton, Edwin T. Jr. American historians 1928 births 2009 deaths University of California, Los Angeles alumni