Alfred W. Crosby

1931–2018

1 standalone book

Alfred Worcester Crosby was born in Boston in 1931 and lived there with his wife Barbara and daughter Carolyn Jane. He graduated from Harvard College in 1952 and served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1955, stationed in Panama. After his military service, he earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from the Harvard School of Education and a Ph.D. in history from Boston University in 1961. His dissertation was published as his first book, America, Russia, Hemp, and Napoleon: A Study of Trade Between the United States and Russia, 1783-1814. He taught at several universities, including Albion College, Ohio State University, Washington State University, and the University of Texas at Austin, where he retired in 1999 as Professor Emeritus of Geography, History, and American Studies. Crosby was involved in the Civil Rights movement and taught Black Studies. He also contributed to the development of a medical center for the United Farm Workers’ Union and participated in anti-Vietnam War demonstrations. His work focused on the histories of marginalized groups and the role of infectious disease in European imperialism. He authored several books, including The Columbian Exchange (1972), America’s Forgotten Pandemic (1976), and Ecological Imperialism (1986). He also wrote on technological and intellectual history, including The Measure of Reality (1997) and Throwing Fire: Projectile Technology Through History. Crosby was a historian, author, and professor.

Born

1931