Robert Franklin Durden (May 10, 1925 – March 4, 2016) was an American historian and author who worked at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

. He wrote books about Duke's history, journalist James S. Pike, and historian Carter G. Woodson. He was born in Graymont, Georgia, to Virgil Edward Durden and Mildred Donaldson Durden. He studied at Emanuel County Institute and

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

.Obituary
The News & Observer March 6, 2016 He served in the U.S. Navy. He received a Ph.D. from

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

in 1952. He married Anne Oller. He retired from Duke in 2001 and was awarded the University Medal. He died in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

. Duke has a collection of his papers. He had two daughters, two granddaughters, and six great-grandchildren. His ashes were spread in the Sarah P. Duke Gardens where his wife's ashes were also placed.

Writings

*''Reconstruction bonds & twentieth-century politics : South Dakota v. North Carolina, 1904'' 1967 *''The Launching of Duke University, 1924-1949'' 1993 *''The Dukes of Durham and The Launching of Duke University'' 1987 *''Electrifying the Piedmont Carolinas: The Duke Power Company, 1904-1997'' 2001 *''Bold Entrepreneur: A Life of James B. Duke'' 2009 *''The Gray and the Black: The Confederate Debate on Emancipation'' winner of the Jules F. Landry Award *''Carter G. Woodson: Father of African-American History'' *''The Self-Inflicted Wound: Southern Politics in the 19th Century'' 1985 *''James Shepherd Pike: Republicanism and the American Negro, 1850-82'' *''The Climax of Populism; The Election of 1896'' *''Lasting Legacy to the Carolinas; The Duke Endowment 1924-1994'' 1998

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durden, Robert Franklin Duke University faculty 1925 births 2016 deaths Emory University alumni 20th-century American historians Princeton University alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II 21st-century American historians People from Emanuel County, Georgia American military historians Historians of the American Civil War Historians of North Carolina Historians of African Americans