Ray Allen Billington (September 28, 1903 in

Bay City, Michigan Bay City is a city in Bay County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 32,661 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is located just upriver from the Saginaw Bay on the Saginaw River. It is the princip ...

– March 7, 1981 in

San Marino, California San Marino is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2020 United States census the population was 12,513, a decline from the 2010 United States census. History Origin of name Th ...

) was an American

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

who researched the history of the American frontier and the American West, becoming one of the leading defenders of

Frederick Jackson Turner Frederick Jackson Turner (November 14, 1861 – March 14, 1932) was an American historian during the early 20th century, based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison until 1910, and then Harvard University. He was known primarily for his front ...

's "Frontier Thesis" from the 1950s to the 1970s, expanding the field of the history of the American West. He was a co-founder of the

Western History Association The Western History Association (WHA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was founded in 1961 at Santa Fe, New Mexico by Ray Allen Billington, et al. Included in the field of study are the American West and western Canada. The Western History ...

in 1961.

Career

Billington studied at 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 ...

, but was expelled (for a student prank). He held a Ph.B. from 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 ...

(1926), an M.A. from the University of Michigan (1927), a Ph.D. from

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 ...

(1933), and an M.A. from Oxford University (1953). He also received nine honorary degrees. He taught at

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research uni ...

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, and served as

Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Visiting Professor of American History The Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Professorship is an endowed chair in American history at the University of Oxford, tenable for one year. The Harmsworth Professorship was established by Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere (1868–194 ...

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

(1953–54). He retired from his teaching career in 1964 and became the Senior Research Associate at the

Huntington Library The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington and Arabella Huntington in San Marino, California, United State ...

Personal life

He married Mabel R. Crotty; they had two children, Anne and Allen.

Awards

* Spur Award from the

Western Writers of America Western Writers of America (WWA), founded 1953, promotes literature, both fictional and nonfictional, pertaining to the American West. Although its founders wrote traditional Western fiction Western fiction is a genre of literature set in th ...

* 1974

Bancroft Prize The Bancroft Prize is awarded each year by the trustees of Columbia University for books about diplomacy or the history of the Americas. It was established in 1948, with a bequest from Frederic Bancroft, in his memory and that of his brother, d ...

for ''Frederick Jackson Turner: Historian, Teacher, Scholar'', Oxford University Press, 1973

Legacy

To honor their former president and longtime member, the

Organization of American Historians The Organization of American Historians (OAH), formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S. and abroad incl ...

created the Ray Allen Billington Prize for the best book in American frontier history, "which is defined broadly to include the pioneer periods of all geographical areas, and comparisons between American frontiers and others." The prize has been awarded biennially since 1981, except for in 1997. In the 1970s, Billington served as a trustee of

Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is ...

in Los Angeles, CA and developed an affection for the school. With funding from his estate, the college's Department of History now hosts the Ray Allen Billington Visiting Professor in U.S. History, given to honor "the tradition of fine teacher/scholars at American liberal arts colleges." The first award was given for the 1999–2000 academic year. The Department has also established a Billington Student Research Fellowship to support undergraduate history students at Occidental conducting primary source research.

Works

* ''The Protestant Crusade 1800–1860: A Study of the Origins of American Nativism'' (1938) (reissue Rinehart, 1952)
excerptonline
* (5th edition; 1st edition 1949) * (1st ed. 1950
online edition
* ''The Far Western Frontier'' Harper, 195
online edition

"How The Frontier Shaped The American Character"
''

American Heritage Magazine ''American Heritage'' is a magazine dedicated to covering the history of the United States for a mainstream readership. Until 2007, the magazine was published by Forbes.

'', April 195
online edition
* ''Westward Movement in the United States'' Van Nostrand, 1959
"Words That Won the West", ''Lecture to the Public Relations Society of America'', San Francisco, California, November 18, 1963
* ''America's Frontier Heritage'' Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1963 (reprint University of New Mexico Press, 1993
online edition
* ''The Frontier Thesis: Valid Interpretation of American History?'' (editor), R. E. Krieger Pub. Co., 1966; 197
online edition
* ''The American Frontier Thesis: Attack and Defense'' 196
online edition
* ''The Genesis of the Frontier Thesis'' (1971) * ''Frederick Jackson Turner: Historian, Scholar, Teacher''. Oxford University Press, 197
online edition
* ''America's Frontier Culture: Three Essays'', 197
online edition
* ''Limericks, Historical and Hysterical'', 198
online edition
* ''Land of Savagery, Land of Promise: The European Image of the American Frontier in the Nineteenth Century'', 198

References

External links

*
Biographical sketch and list of articles by Ray Allen Billington
in ''

American Heritage Magazine ''American Heritage'' is a magazine dedicated to covering the history of the United States for a mainstream readership. Until 2007, the magazine was published by Forbes.

''. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Billington, Ray Allen People from Bay City, Michigan University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Harvard University alumni 1903 births 1981 deaths Clark University faculty Smith College faculty Northwestern University faculty Historians of the United States Historians of the American West 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Professors of American History University of Michigan alumni Bancroft Prize winners 20th-century American male writers Historians from Michigan People associated with the Huntington Library Burials at Mountain View Cemetery (Altadena, California)