Paul H. Douglas collection

Collection

Identifier: M267

Staff Only
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Scope and Content

The collection contains biographical material, correspondence, and newspaper clippings concerning Douglas. The bulk of the correspondence is with Bowdoin College administrative and alumni personnel.

Dates

Creation: 1909-1992

Creator

Douglas, Paul H. (Paul Howard) (Person)

Biographical/Historical Note

Paul Howard Douglas was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on March 26, 1892. He was graduated cum laude from Bowdoin College in 1913 and received a master of arts degree in 1915 and a doctor of philosophy degree in 1921, both from Columbia University. Douglas taught economics at the University of Illinois, 1916-1917; at Reed College in Oregon, 1917-1918; and at the University of Washington, 1919-1920. In 1920 he joined the faculty at the University of Chicago, where he taught until 1948, except during World War II. During the war he rose from private in the Marine Corps to lieutenant colonel, serving in the Pacific. He was wounded at Peleliu and Okinawa and awarded the Bronze Star. From 1948 until 1966 Douglas was U.S. senator from Illinois. He also was the author of more than a dozen books and received eighteen honorary degrees, including a doctor of laws degree from Bowdoin in 1951. In 1938 Douglas, along with Harvey D. Gibson (Bowdoin 1902), was the recipient of the Bowdoin Prize. Douglas died in Washington, D.C., on September 24, 1976.