American historian (1903–1981)
Ray Allen Billington (September 28, 1903 in Bay City, Michigan - March 7, 1981 in San Marino, California) was an American historian who researched the history of the American frontier and the American West, becoming one of the leading defenders of Frederick Jackson Turner'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 in 1961.
Career.
Billington studied at the University of Michigan, but was expelled (for a student prank). He held a Ph.B. from the University of Wisconsin (1926), an M.A. from the University of Michigan (1927), a Ph.D. from Harvard University (1933), and an M.A. from Oxford University (1953). He also received nine honorary degrees. He taught at Clark University, Smith College, Northwestern University, and served as Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Visiting Professor of American History at Oxford University (1953–54). He retired from his teaching career in 1964 and became the Senior Research Associate at the Huntington Library.
Personal life.
He married Mabel R. Crotty; they had two children, Anne and Allen.
Legacy.
To honor their former president and longtime member, the Organization of American Historians 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 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.
References.
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