Walter B. Edgar (born December 10, 1943) is an American historian and author specializing in Southern history and culture, particularly for

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. Edgar has authored or edited several books about the state, including ''South Carolina: A History'' and ''The South Carolina Encyclopedia''. He is known for hosting the popular weekly radio show ''Walter Edgar's Journal'' on

South Carolina Public Radio South Carolina Public Radio (SCPR) is the National Public Radio member network serving the state of South Carolina. It is licensed to the South Carolina Educational Television Commission, an agency of South Carolina state government. It is a ...

on historic and cultural topics, as well as the daily feature ''South Carolina A to Z'' on

. Edgar was born in 1943 in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

, and was raised there. Edgar went to

Davidson College Davidson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina, United States. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after American Revolutiona ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

for undergraduate studies, receiving a B.A. in history. Edgar elected to continue history studies at the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

, graduating with both a masters and doctorate degree. Following active duty in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

including a tour in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, Edgar returned to USC as a professor in 1972 while remaining in the

Army Reserve Army Reserve refers to a land-based military reserve force, including: *Army Reserve (Ireland) *Army Reserve (United Kingdom) *Australian Army Reserve *Canadian Army Reserve * New Zealand Army Reserve *United States Army Reserve *United States Navy ...

, from which he retired as a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. He retired from USC after 40 years of teaching and research in 2012. Edgar was married to his first wife Betty in 1966. She died in 2005 following health complications. Edgar remarried in 2007 to his current wife Nela; they live in Columbia, SC.

Works

* * , a pictorial volume * new introduction and two new appendices by Walter B. Edgar in originally published 1941 * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edgar, Walter Living people 1943 births 21st-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Historians of South Carolina Historians of the United States Writers from Mobile, Alabama Writers from Columbia, South Carolina United States Army officers 21st-century American male writers