Walter T. Durham | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 7, 1924 Gallatin, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | May 24, 2013 (aged 88) |
| Parents |
George Franklin Durham Celeste McAlister |
| Spouse | Anna Armstrong Coile |
| Children | 4 |
| Occupation | Local historian |
| Education |
University of Wisconsin Vanderbilt University |
Walter T. Durham (October 7, 1924 - May 24, 2013) was an American historian. He was the Tennessee State Historian from 2002 to 2013, and the author of 24 books of local history.
Early life[]
Durham was born on October 7, 1924 in Gallatin, Tennessee to George Franklin Durham and Celeste McAlister.[1][2] His paternal grandfather, J. T. Durham, served as a member of the Tennessee Senate.[3] He served in the United States Army during World War II between 1943 and 1946.[1] He subsequently attended the University of Wisconsin, and he graduated from Vanderbilt University, where he earned bachelor of arts and master's degrees.[1][2]
Career[]
Durham worked as a businessman in Gallatin.[1] He was the founding president of the Tennessee Heritage Alliance, later known as the Tennessee Preservation Trust.[1] He also served as the president of the Tennessee Historical Society, and as the chairman of the Tennessee Historical Commission.[1] In 2002, he was appointed as the Tennessee State Historian by Governor Don Sundquist.[1]
Durham was the author of 24 books of local history.[1] He wrote about the Antebellum era like Congressman Balie Peyton or the Rose Mont plantation; the American Civil War of 1861-1865 in Tennessee; and the post-bellum era like the forty-niners from Tennessee who took part in the California Gold Rush.
Personal life, death and legacy[]
Durham married Anna Armstrong Coile, and they had four children.[1] They resided in Gallatin.[1]
Durham died on May 24, 2013, at 88.[1][3] His funeral was held at the First Methodist Church of Gallatin.[3] He was succeeded as the Tennessee State Historian by Carroll Van West.[4] Durham is the namesake of the Tennessee Historical Society's Walter Durham Award, given annually to scholars.[5] The Walter T. Durham Bridge was named in his honor in 2015.[2][6]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Kingsbury, Sarah; Garrison, Joey (May 26, 2013). "Walter Durham 1924-2013". The Tennessean. pp. 1B; 3B. https://www.newspapers.com/image/105321243/?terms=%22Walter%2BDurham%22. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Nelson, Josh (May 10, 2015). "SR 109 Bridge named after Walter Durham". Gallatin News. https://www.gallatinnews.com/news/sr-bridge-named-after-walter-durham/article_9288189c-4cf7-58cb-8771-9f4589f0a146.html. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Hall, Patrick (May 29, 2013). "Community remembers the life of Walter T. Durham". Gallatin News. https://www.gallatinnews.com/news/community-remembers-the-life-of-walter-t-durham/article_6cb0d1ed-763c-53b5-8bb6-d8d6bd70e7d8.html. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ↑ Phillips, Betsy (July 11, 2013). "Carroll Van West Is Our New State Historian". Nashville Scene. https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pith-in-the-wind/article/13049062/carroll-van-west-is-our-new-state-historian. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
- ↑ "WALTER T. DURHAM AWARD". Summer 2013. p. 157. JSTOR 43825613.
- ↑ Cross, Josh (May 4, 2015). "State Route 109 bridge name carries honor for Durham family". The Tennessean. https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/gallatin/2015/05/04/state-route-bridge-name-carries-honor-durham-family/26885303/. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
Selected works[]
- Durham, Walter T. (1997). Volunteer Forty-Niners: Tennesseans and the California Gold Rush. Nashville, Tennessee: Vanderbilt University Press. ISBN 9780585170930. OCLC 44959444.
- Durham, Walter T. (2002). Josephus Conn Guild and Rose Mont: Politics and Plantation in Nineteenth Century Tennessee. Franklin, Tennessee: Hillsboro Press. ISBN 9781577362883. OCLC 52238267.
- Durham, Walter T. (2004). Balie Peyton of Tennessee: Nineteenth Century Politics and Thoroughbreds. Franklin, Tennessee: Hillsboro Press. ISBN 9781577363231. OCLC 835774037.
- Durham, Walter T. (2008). Nashville: The Occupied City, 1862-1863. Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 9781572336339. OCLC 751448051.
- Durham, Walter T. (2008). Reluctant Partners: Nashville and the Union, 1863-1865. Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press. OCLC 760156820.
External links[]
- Walter T. Durham on C-SPAN
The original article can be found at Walter T. Durham and the edit history here.