Ray Allen Billington (September 28, 1903 in
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city and county seat of Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and it is the principal city of the Bay City Metrop ...
- March 7, 1981 in
San Marino, California
San Marino is a residential city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2010 census the population was 13,147. The city is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of househol ...
) 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 race; as well as the st ...
focusing his work on 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 until 1910, and then Harvard University. He was known primarily for his frontier thes ...
'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
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, but was expelled (for a student prank). He held a Ph.B. from the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
(1926), an M.A. from the University of Michigan (1927), a Ph.D. from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
(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. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research universities in th ...
,
Smith College
Smith College is a private liberal arts women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith and opened in 1875. It is the largest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite women's c ...
,
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Chart ...
, and served as
at
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
(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 (1850–1927) and Arabella Huntington (c.1851–1924) in San Mar ...
.
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, the more than 600 current members also include historia ...
* 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, ...
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 inc ...
created the
Ray Allen Billington Prize The Ray Allen Billington Prize is given biennially by the Organization of American Historians (OAH) for the best book about American frontier history. The "American frontier" includes all of North and South America, all post-1492 pioneer experiences ...
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. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldes ...
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 edition 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