Grady McWhiney: Difference between revisions
Dr. Grady McWhiney, 77, one of the most important and influential historians in the Twentieth Century, passed away Tuesday, April 18, at his home in Abilene, Texas, after a lengthy illness. He is sur |
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'''Grady McWhiney''' ([[July 15]] [[1928]] – [[April 18]] [[2006]]) was a historian of the [[Southern United States|American south]] and the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. As historian C. David Dalton has pointed out, he was "Controversial. Unconventional. Influential. These are words easily applied to one of the South's most prominent scholars, Grady McWhiney. For over three decades his writings have been discussed and debated but never disregarded." [''Journal of Southern History. Volume: 70. Issue: 1. 2004. Page 146.] |
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He was a former director of the [[League of the South]]. The [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] has called him the ''intellectual grandfather of the [[neo-Confederate]] movement'' [http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=846#8] but he left that movement in the mid 1990s. |
He was a former director of the [[League of the South]]. The [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] has called him the ''intellectual grandfather of the [[neo-Confederate]] movement'' [http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=846#8] but he left that movement in the mid 1990s. |
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Revision as of 18:09, 3 May 2006
Grady McWhiney (July 15 1928 – April 18 2006) was a historian of the American south and the Civil War. As historian C. David Dalton has pointed out, he was "Controversial. Unconventional. Influential. These are words easily applied to one of the South's most prominent scholars, Grady McWhiney. For over three decades his writings have been discussed and debated but never disregarded." [Journal of Southern History. Volume: 70. Issue: 1. 2004. Page 146.]
He was a former director of the League of the South. The Southern Poverty Law Center has called him the intellectual grandfather of the neo-Confederate movement [1] but he left that movement in the mid 1990s.
He and Forrest McDonald were the authors of the "Celtic Thesis," which holds that most southerners were of Celtic ancestry (as opposed to Anglo-Saxon), and that all Celtic groups (Scots-Irish, Scottish, Welsh and others) were descended from warlike herdsmen, in contrast to the peaceful farmers who predominated in England.
He was born on July 15, 1928, in Shreveport, Louisiana. After attending school in that city, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in the last year of World War II. He met and married Sue Baca while in California in 1947, then returned home after the war. He graduated from Centenary College and then earned his Master’s degree in History from the Louisiana State University studying under the legendary Francis Butler Simkins. He continued his studies at Columbia University in New York, where he was one of the first graduate students to work with the highly respected David Donald. He received his Ph.D. in 1960. McWhiney made his life’s work the study of the Civil War era in the United States, as well as of Southern history. His most notable titles include the Civil War best seller Attack and Die that he co-authored with his doctoral student Perry Jamieson, and his narrative biography Braxton Bragg and Confederate Defeat. His most path-breaking and provocative work was Cracker Culture: Celtic Ways in the Old South. McWhiney also wrote hundreds of articles for scholarly journals. He was a life member of the Southern Historical Association. Grady McWhiney made an indelible mark on his profession and on the way that Americans, and Southerners in particular, view themselves. His life included an interesting mix of devotion, gentility, controversy, and dedication to his craft and to his students. He taught at such diverse colleges and universities as Troy State University, Milsaps College, the University of California at Berkley, Northwestern University, the University of British Columbia, Wayne State University, the University of Alabama, Texas Christian University, and in retirement at Mississippi Southern University and McMurry University. In the course of his 44-year career, he trained 19 Ph.D. students. Doc was fond of good conversation, excellent food and drink, Irish and Southern fiddle music, stylish cars, his friends, and his cats. Almost everyone who met him, though they may not agree with him, recognized him as the quintessential southern gentleman from his chivalrous manners to his snappy attire. Sue Baca McWhiney predeceased him in 2000.
see also White Cracker
References
- Grady McWhiney. Confederate Crackers and Cavaliers.
(Abilene, Tex.: McWhiney Foundation Press, c. 2002. Pp. 312. ISBN 1-893114-27-9, collected essays
External links
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