Bancroft Prize
1 appearances
Robert Lawrence Middlekauff
ロバート・ローレンス・ミドルカフ
Robāto Rōrensu Midorukafu
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1929-07-05 （Yakima, Washington, U.S.）
- Died
- 2021-03-10 （Pleasanton, California, U.S.） age 91
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
Career
- Occupations
- historian, university professor, library director
- Active Years
- 1955-2021
- Affiliations
- University of California, Berkeley, Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society
- Memberships
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Bancroft Prize | The Mathers: Three Generations of Puritan Intellectuals, 1596–1728 | — | Columbia University (Bancroft Prize) | winner |
| 1983 | Pulitzer Prize (finalist) | The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763–1789 | — | Columbia University (Pulitzer Prize) | finalist |
Bancroft Prize
1972
Work:
The Mathers: Three Generations of Puritan Intellectuals, 1596–1728
Organization:
Columbia University (Bancroft Prize)
Result:
winner
Pulitzer Prize (finalist)
1983
Work:
The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763–1789
Organization:
Columbia University (Pulitzer Prize)
Result:
finalist
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Ancients and Axioms: Secondary Education in Eighteenth-Century New England
1963 historyA scholarly study of secondary education in eighteenth-century New England, analyzing institutional structures and cultural impacts on local society and intellectual life.
history of educationNew England18th century
The Mathers: Three Generations of Puritan Intellectuals, 1596–1728
1971 history (biographical/intellectual history)A multi-generational study of the Mather family, tracing three generations of Puritan intellectuals and clarifying their roles in religious and intellectual networks.
Puritanismintellectual historyreligious history
The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763–1789
1982 history (American Revolution)A comprehensive narrative of the American Revolutionary era that covers political and social transformations; it was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1983.
American Revolutionfounding historypolitical history
Benjamin Franklin and His Enemies
1996 history (biographical/intellectual history)A study of Benjamin Franklin focusing on his political and social conflicts, re-examining his life and influence through his adversarial relationships.
biographyEnlightenmentpolitical conflicts
Bibliography
- Ancients and Axioms: Secondary Education in Eighteenth-Century New England (1963)
- The Mathers: Three Generations of Puritan Intellectuals, 1596-1728 (1971)
- The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763–1789 (1982; revised edition 2005)
- Benjamin Franklin and His Enemies (1996)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- scholarly and document-based narrativeblend of narrative and analytical prose
- Recurring Motifs
- revolution and nation foundingrole of religion and intellectualspolitical conflict and the public sphere
Health
-
strokeReported to have died in 2021 from complications of a stroke.
Legacy
A prominent historian of the American Revolution and early United States history. Best known for The Glorious Cause, recipient of the Bancroft Prize and a Pulitzer finalist; he also influenced scholarship and institutional leadership as president of the Huntington Library and as a professor at UC Berkeley.
Academic Societies
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- American Philosophical Society
Archives
- The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley (possible holding of related papers)
Trivia
- The Glorious Cause was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1983.
- Served as president of the Huntington Library from 1983 to 1987.