Robert V. Bruce

Robert Vance Bruce
Born	(1923-12-19)December 19, 1923 Malden, Massachusetts,United States
Died	January 15, 2008(2008-01-15)(aged 84) Olympia, Washington
Alma mater	University of New Hampshire(B.S.) Boston University(M.A.,PhD.)
Awards	Guggenheim Fellow(1957) Huntington LibraryFellow (1966) President of the Lincoln Group of Boston (1969–74) Fellow of the Society of American Historians (1974) R. Gerald McMurtry Lecturer on Abraham Lincoln (1981) Pulitzer Prize for History(1988) Fortenbaugh Lecturer atGettysburg College(1989)
Scientific career
Fields	History(American Civil War)
Institutions	University of Bridgeport Lawrence Academy at Groton Boston University University of Wisconsin
Notes

Robert Vance Bruce(December 19, 1923 inMalden, Massachusetts– January 15, 2008 inOlympia, Washington)was an American historian specializing in theAmerican Civil War,who won the 1988Pulitzer Prize for Historyfor his bookThe Launching of Modern American Science, 1846–1876(1987).After serving in the Army duringWorld War II,Bruce graduated from theUniversity of New Hampshire,where he earned hisBachelor of Scienceinmechanical engineering.He received hisMaster of Artsin history and hisDoctor of PhilosophyfromBoston University,where he was later a professor.He also taught at theUniversity of Bridgeport,Lawrence Academy at Groton,and theUniversity of Wisconsin.Bruce was also a lecturer at the Fortenbaugh Lecture atGettysburg College.

Plagiarism controversy

In April 1998, Bruce accused Scottish historianJames A. Mackayof plagiarizing his bookBell: Alexander Graham Bell and The Conquest of Solitude,even as Mackay acknowledged Bruce on page 12 of his book.Accusations also appeared in the review of Mackay's book byThe Washington Post.By Bruce's own count, 285 pages of Mackay's 297-page bookAlexander Graham Bell: A Lifecontained plagiarisms from his book, including Mackay's acknowledging theNational Geographic Societyand other organizations that had not heard of Mackay. Eventually,John Wiley & Sonstook the book out of print and destroyed any remaining copies at Mackay's expense in exchange for Bruce's promise not to sue.Mackay also later apologized to Bruce.TheAmerican Historical Associationlater found that Mackay had violated itsStatement on Standards of Professional Conduct.

Bibliography

Bruce wrote multiple works:

• Lincoln and the Tools of War(1956)ISBN978-0252060908
• 1877: Year of Violence(1959)ISBN978-0929587059
• Two Roads to Plenty: An Analysis of American History(1964)
• Alexander Graham Bell and the Conquest of Solitude(1973)ISBN9780316112512
• Alexander Graham Bell: Teacher of the Deaf(1974)
• Lincoln and the Riddle of Death(1981)
• The Launching of Modern American Science, 1846–1876(1987)ISBN9780394553948(Pulitzer Prize for History winner)
• Bruce, Robert;Boritt, Gabor(1988).The Historian's Lincoln: Rebuttals: What the University Press Would Not Print.Gettysburg College.OCLC21762068.
• The Shadow of A Coming War(1989)
• Lincoln, the War President: The Gettysburg Lectures(1992) (withGabor Boritt)ISBN9780195078916