Herbert Eugene Bolton

Herbert Eugene Bolton
Bolton in 1905
Born(1870-07-20)20 July 1870
Died30 January 1953(1953-01-30) (aged 82)
Occupation(s)Academic, author
Spouse
Gertrude Janes
(m. 1895)
Academic background
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison (BA)
University of Pennsylvania (PhD)
InfluencesFrederick Jackson Turner
Academic work
InstitutionsMilwaukee State Normal School
University of Texas
University of California, Berkeley
Notable studentsWoodrow Borah, LeRoy R. Hafen, Abraham P. Nasatir, J. Fred Rippy, and Ursula Lamb
Main interestsSpanish-American borderlands
Notable worksGuide to Materials for the History of the United States in the Principal Archives of Mexico
New Spain and the Anglo-American West
Notable ideasBolton Theory[1]

Herbert Eugene Bolton (July 20, 1870 – January 30, 1953) was an American historian who pioneered the study of the Spanish-American borderlands and was a prominent authority on Spanish American history. He originated what became known as the Bolton Theory of the history of the Americas which holds that it is impossible to study the history of the United States in isolation from the histories of other American nations,[1] and wrote or co-authored ninety-four works. A student of Frederick Jackson Turner, Bolton disagreed with his mentor's Frontier theory and argued that the history of the Americas is best understood by taking a holistic view and trying to understand the ways that the different colonial and precolonial contexts have interacted to produce the modern United States. The height of his career was spent at the University of California, Berkeley where he served as chair of the history department for twenty-two years and is widely credited with making the renowned Bancroft Library the preeminent research center it is today.[2]

  1. ^ a b The Bolton Theory
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference In Memoriam was invoked but never defined (see the help page).