Frederic L. Paxson
Frederic L. Paxson (February 23, 1877 – October 24, 1948) was an American historian known as a leading expert on the American frontier. He was born in Philadelphia and earned his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, studying history, international law, and economics under John Bach McMaster. He also held a master’s degree from Harvard. His 1903 dissertation explored American policy toward the independence of the South American republics in the 1820s.
Paxson taught at the University of Wisconsin from 1910 to 1932, succeeding Frederick Jackson Turner, and then taught at the University of California, Berkeley from 1932 to 1947. He served as president of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association. He published broadly and won the 1925 Pulitzer Prize in History for History of the American Frontier, 1763–1893.
Among his students were Earl S. Pomeroy and Ira Clark, who recalled Paxson as a demanding but engaging teacher who emphasized practical techniques, specific problems, and the synthesis of political, economic, and social history. Paxson also coined the term “Historical Engineering” to describe wartime revisions of textbooks to fit the mood of World War I.
His early work began with studies of Colorado and diplomacy, but he moved toward broader frontier histories, culminating in his landmark frontier history that examines how westward movement affected people and their relations, including conflicts with Native Americans. During World War I, despite his Quaker background, he served as a major in the War Department’s historical bureau, using writing to explain the historical context of American policy.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 09:05 (CET).