Rodman W. Paul

Rodman Wilson Paul (1912–1987) was an American historian who taught at the California Institute of Technology. He was known primarily as the foremost authority on California mining and agricultural history.

Life and career

Paul was born in Philadelphia and raised near Boston. He received his AB (1936), AM (1937) and PhD (1943) from Harvard.^[1] His PhD adviser at Harvard was Frederick Merk. From 1943 to 1946 he served in the Navy Reserve. In 1947 he went to Cal Tech. His choice for going there was partly based on an interest he developed in the history of the far West after a trip he took to Arizona to recuperate from an illness.^[2] He eventually became the Edward S. Harkness Professor of History.^[3] After retirement in 1972, he continued work as a researcher at the Huntington Library.

Paul wrote many books and articles, and was recognized with several awards including the 1984 Henry R. Wagner Memorial Award. He was a fellow of the California Historical Society, served on the board of the Pasadena and Santa Barbara historical societies,^[3] and was a member of the NASA Historical Advisory Committee.

References

Attributions

• "Rodman W. Paul, 74; Western Historian Taught at Caltech". Los Angeles Times. May 21, 1987. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 
• "Finding Aid for the Rodman W. Paul Papers 1929-1986". Online Archive of California. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 
• Paul, Rodman (February 5, 9 & 17, March 22, 1982) (PDF). Rodman W. Paul (1912-1987). Interview with Carol Bugé. Pasadena, CA. http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Paul_R. Retrieved November 10, 2013.

Bibliography

The following is a selected list of the works of Rodman Paul. Not listed are his many book reviews of works by other authors.

Books

• Paul, Rodman W. (1969). California Gold: The Beginning of Mining in the Far West. Lincoln: Univ. of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0803251491. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 
• Paul, Rodman W.; Etulain, Richard W. (1977). The Frontier and the American West. Arlington Heights, IL: AHM Pub. Corp. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 
• Paul, Rodman W. (1977). When Culture Came to Boise: Mary Hallock Foote in Idaho. Boise, Idaho: Idaho State Historical Society. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 
• Paul, Rodman W. (1988). The Far West and the Great Plains In Transition, 1859-1900. New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 0060158360. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 
• Paul, Rodman W.; West, Elliott (2001). Mining Frontiers of the Far West, 1848-1880. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 

Articles

• Paul, Rodman W. (Sep 1938). "The Origin of the Chinese Issue in California". The Mississippi Valley Historical Review (Organization of American Historians) 25 (2): 181–196. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 
• Paul, Rodman Wilson (Nov 1958). "The Great California Grain War: The Grangers Challenge the Wheat King". Pacific Historical Review (University of California Press) 27 (4): 331–349. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 
• Paul, Rodman Wilson (Jun 1960). "Colorado as a Pioneer of Science in the Mining West". The Mississippi Valley Historical Review (Organization of American Historians) 47 (1): 34–50. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 
• Paul, Rodman Wilson (Feb 1964). "Mining Frontiers as a Measure of Western Historical Writing". Pacific Historical Review (University of California Press) 33 (1): 25–34. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 
• Paul, Rodman W. (Dec 1967). "The Mormons As a Theme in Western Historical Writing". The Journal of American History (Organization of American Historians) 54 (3): 511–523. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 
• Paul, Rodman W. (Apr 1969). "The New Western History: A Review of Two Recent Examples". Agricultural History (Agricultural History Society) 43 (2): 297–300. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 
• Paul, Rodman W. (Aug 1975). "Historical Advisory Committees: NASA and the National Archives". Pacific Historical Review (University of California Press) 44 (3): 385–394. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 
• Paul, Rodman W. (Apr 1978). "Frederick Merk, Teacher and Scholar: A Tribute". The Western Historical Quarterly (Utah State University) 9 (2): 141–148. Retrieved November 8, 2013. 
• Paul, Rodman W. (Jan 1979). "A Tenderfoot Discovers There Once Was a Mining West". The Western Historical Quarterly (Utah State University) 10 (1): 4–20. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 
• Paul, Rodman W. (Feb 1982). "After the Gold Rush: San Francisco and Portland". Pacific Historical Review (University of California Press) 51 (1): 1–21. Retrieved November 10, 2013. 
• Paul, Rodman W.; Malone, Michael P. (Jan 1985). "Tradition and Challenge in Western Historiography". The Western Historical Quarterly (Utah State University) 16 (1): 27–53. Retrieved November 10, 2013.