Robert K. Murray(April 9, 1922 – February 9, 2019) was an American professor of history at thePennsylvania State Universityfor 35 years, best known forThe Harding Era(1969), a biography of US PresidentWarren G. Harding,which won a HistoryBook of the Month Clubselection, McNight Distinguished Book Award, andPhi Alpha ThetaNational Book award.[1][2][3]
Background
editRobert Keith Murray was born on April 9, 1922, inUnion City, Indiana.His parents were Darrell Richard and Orpha Alice Michael Murray. He attended public schools inColumbus, Ohio.In 1943, he earned both BA and BS degrees. In 1943, he earned an MA and in 1949 a doctorate in Modern American History fromOhio State University.[1]
Career
editDuring World War II, Murray served as a Signal Intelligence Specialist in Europe. Immediately after the war, he served in theNational Security Agency.[1]
Murray began his long academic career as instructor in History at Ohio State University. In 1949, he joinedPennsylvania State University.In 1959, he became full professor of American History. He headed History Department (1959 to 1969). He served as assistant graduate dean (1964 to 1967). He helped develop and plan Penn State's Kern Graduate Center. In 1974, Murray became a Senior Fellow in the Institute for the Arts and Humanities. In 1984, he retired from Penn State after 35 years there.[1][2]
Murray helped open the Harding Papers to the public (thought burned), based on which he wroteThe Harding Era(1969) (see Awards and Works sections, below).[1]
Outside of academics, Murray served as an institutionalPeace Corpsrepresentative (1961–1963), special consultant to theAmerican Council on Education(1962–1964), member of the National Archives Commission (1971–1976), and referee for theNational Endowment for the Humanities.[1]
Personal life and death
editOn December 7, 1943, Murray married Evelyn Fay Keller (died 2015); they had two daughters and a son.[1]
Beyond Penn State, Murray was a member of theAmerican Historical Association,theOrganization of American Historians,theNational Education Association,thePennsylvania Historical Association,andAmerican Association of University Professors.
Murray died aged 96 on February 9, 2019, in Tampa, Florida.[1]
Awards
edit- 1970:
- Research Service award from theState of Ohio[1]
- HistoryBook of the Month Clubselection forThe Harding Era[1]
- McNight Distinguished Book Award forThe Harding Era[1]
- Phi Alpha Theta National Book award forThe Harding Era[1]
- 1976: HistoryBook of the Month Clubselection for103rd Ballot[1]
- 1978: Distinguished Alumnus of Ohio State[1]
- 1979: Life Membership in the National Speliological Society forTrapped
- 1984: Honorary Life Member, Organization of American Historians[1]
Works
editMurray wrote or co-wrote more than six books, more than 30 articles, and many book chapters and book reviews.[1][2]
Books:
- Public Opinion and the American Red Cross(1950)
- Red Scare: A Study in National Hysteria, 1919–1920(1955)[4]
- The Harding Era: Warren G. Harding and His Administration(1969)[5]
- The Politics of Normalcy: Governmental Theory and Practice in the Harding-Coolidge Era(1973)[6]
- The 103rd Ballot: Democrats and the Disaster in Madison Square Garden(1976)[7]
- Trapped!: The Story of Floyd Collins(1979)[8]
- Greatness in the White House(1989)[9]
References
edit- ^abcdefghijklmnop"In Memoriam: Robert K. Murray".Organization of American Historians. 15 April 2019.Retrieved17 May2020.
- ^abc"Robert K. Murray".American Heritage.Retrieved17 May2020.
- ^"Robert K Murray".W.W. Norton.Retrieved17 May2020.
- ^Murray, Robert K.(1955).Red Scare: A Study in National Hysteria, 1919–1920.University of Minnesota Press.ISBN9780816658336.Retrieved17 May2020.
- ^Murray, Robert K.(1967).The Harding Era: Warren G. Harding and His Administration.University of Minnesota Press.Retrieved17 May2020.
- ^Murray, Robert K.;Brucker, Roger W. (1973).The Politics of Normalcy: Governmental Theory and Practice in the Harding-Coolidge Era.W.W. Norton.ISBN9780393094220.Retrieved17 May2020.
- ^Murray, Robert K.(1976).The 103rd Ballot: Democrats and the Disaster in Madison Square Garden.Harper & Row.ISBN9780060131241.Retrieved17 May2020.
- ^Murray, Robert K.;Brucker, Roger W. (1982).Trapped!: The Story of Floyd Collins.University Press of Kentucky.ISBN0813101530.Retrieved17 May2020.
- ^Murray, Robert K.;Blessing, Tim H. (1993).Greatness in the White House: Rating the Presidents, from Washington Through Ronald Reagan.Penn State Press.ISBN0271024860.Retrieved17 May2020.