Bernard De Voto
Bernard De Voto was an influential American historian and author, celebrated for his ability to weave narrative techniques into historical writing, effectively bringing history to life. Born in Ogden, Utah, in 1897, he pursued his education at Harvard University after serving in World War I. De Voto's career began in education, teaching history and English at various institutions, including Northwestern University and Harvard. He gained prominence in the mid-20th century through his editorial work and contributions to notable publications such as Harper's Magazine and the Saturday Evening Post.
His literary contributions include his first novel, "The Crooked Mile," and acclaimed historical works like "The Year of Decision: 1846," "Across the Wide Missouri," and "The Course of Empire." De Voto received significant recognition for his writings, including the Pulitzer Prize and the Bancroft Prize for "Across the Wide Missouri," as well as the National Book Award for "The Course of Empire." He is particularly noted for his studies of Mark Twain and the complexities of American frontier history, making lasting contributions to American literature and historical scholarship.
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Bernard De Voto
Author
- Born: January 11, 1897
- Birthplace: Ogden, Utah
- Died: November 13, 1955
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Bernard De Voto was an American historian as well as an author who was well known for combining his two passions. He used his novelistic techniques to bring history to life and give it the plot of an intense novel.
De Voto was born in Ogden, Utah, in 1897 to Florian Bernard De Voto and Rhoda Dye De Voto. As a boy, he attended Sacred Heart Academy and Ogden High School. De Voto studied at the University of Utah his freshman year but transferred to Harvard University as a sophomore in 1915. He graduated from Harvard with a bachelor’s degree in 1920 after serving in the army for two years during World War I.
De Voto moved back to Ogden following his graduation and taught history at the junior high school. In 1922, he began teaching English at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He married Helen Avis MacVicar, one of his former students, in 1923; they had two children, Gordon King De Voto, and Mark Bernard De Voto. By the mid-1930’s, De Voto had become a lecturer at Harvard. Around the same time, he was an editor for the Harvard Graduates’ Magazine, and he was writing short stories for Redbook and the Saturday Evening Post and articles for Harper’s Magazine, the Saturday Review of Literature, and the American Mercury. In 1935, De Voto became editor of the Harper’s “Easy Chair” column. A year later, he moved to New York City and began editing the Saturday Review of Literature, and two years later left this job to be a curator of Mark Twain’s papers at Harvard’s Widener Library, a position he held from 1938 to 1946.
In 1924, De Voto’s first novel, The Crooked Mile, was published to positive reviews but poor sales. His best writing shined through in three American history books, The Year of Decision: 1846, Across the Wide Missouri, and The Course of Empire. De Voto was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in history and the Bancroft Prize in 1948, both for Across the Wide Missouri. He also received the National Book Award for history in 1953 for The Course of Empire. He is best remembered for his studies of Mark Twain and American frontier history.