Introduction
Donald James Cline (December 3, 1929 – August 19, 2002) was an American historian who specialized in the political, economic, and social history of the American West during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Over a career that spanned more than three decades, Cline held faculty positions at several universities, authored a number of influential monographs and articles, and served in leadership roles within the American Historical Association and other scholarly societies. His scholarship is noted for its rigorous use of archival sources, its interdisciplinary approach, and its emphasis on the interplay between frontier expansion and national policy.
Early Life and Education
Birth and Family Background
Cline was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to William and Margaret Cline, who were both schoolteachers. Growing up in a Midwestern environment that emphasized community and historical preservation, young Donald developed an early fascination with the region’s pioneer past. His parents encouraged his reading of local histories and newspaper archives, fostering a habit of meticulous research that would characterize his later work.
Undergraduate Studies
After completing high school at Omaha High School, Cline enrolled at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1947. He pursued a Bachelor of Arts in History, graduating summa cum laude in 1951. His undergraduate thesis, “Railroads and the Settlement of the Great Plains,” was praised for its comprehensive survey of primary documents and its clear articulation of the economic forces driving westward migration. This early work laid the foundation for his future scholarship on frontier dynamics.
Graduate Education
In 1951, Cline entered the doctoral program in History at the University of Chicago, where he studied under prominent historians such as John H. McCarty and Robert A. Ferguson. His dissertation, completed in 1957, examined the influence of federal land policies on the development of agricultural communities in the upper Midwest. The dissertation was later published as a monograph and received the Henry R. Wagner Award for outstanding contribution to the study of American agrarian history. During his graduate years, Cline also completed a fellowship at the Huntington Library, gaining access to rare collections of pioneer diaries and government correspondence.
Academic Career
Early Teaching Positions
Following the completion of his Ph.D., Cline accepted an assistant professorship at the University of Michigan, where he taught courses on American social history and research methodology. Between 1957 and 1963, he developed a series of seminars that focused on the integration of quantitative analysis into historical inquiry, a pedagogical approach that was relatively novel at the time. His commitment to interdisciplinary research attracted students from economics, geography, and sociology, many of whom went on to pursue careers in public policy and academia.
University of Illinois Years
In 1963, Cline joined the faculty of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign as an associate professor of history. His tenure there coincided with a period of rapid growth in the university’s research infrastructure, including the establishment of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in 1965. Cline played a pivotal role in the Center’s early development, advocating for funding for archival digitization projects and cross-disciplinary conferences. He was promoted to full professor in 1969 and served as department chair from 1973 to 1977.
Later Positions and Retirement
After a distinguished tenure at Illinois, Cline accepted a professorship at Stanford University in 1980, where he continued to teach until his retirement in 1996. During his time at Stanford, he supervised a generation of doctoral students who specialized in frontier studies, environmental history, and the economics of resource extraction. Upon retirement, he was granted emeritus status and continued to publish and lecture until his passing in 2002.
Major Publications
Books
The Rise of the American Frontier (1975) – This comprehensive volume synthesizes archival data, economic theory, and political analysis to trace the evolution of frontier regions from the 1830s to the early twentieth century. The book was lauded for its balanced treatment of settlement patterns, indigenous displacement, and governmental incentives.
Land, Law, and the West (1983) – In this work, Cline focuses on federal land legislation, including the Homestead Act and the Timber and Stone Act, assessing their long-term socioeconomic impacts on rural communities. The book includes extensive case studies from Montana, Wyoming, and Nevada.
Frontier Economies in Transition (1991) – Cline examines the shift from agrarian-based economies to resource-based and tourism-driven economies in the American West. He argues that these transitions were influenced by both national economic trends and local political initiatives.
Articles and Chapters
Cline authored over 70 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Notable pieces include:
- “Railroads and the Transformation of Rural America” (Journal of American History, 1962) – An analysis of transportation infrastructure as a catalyst for demographic change.
- “Indigenous Policy and the Myth of the Frontier” (American Historical Review, 1970) – A critical examination of the portrayal of the West in popular historiography.
- “Economic Diversification in the Rocky Mountains” (Western Historical Quarterly, 1987) – A case study of economic adaptation in mountainous regions.
His scholarly output earned him citations in numerous subsequent works on American frontier history.
Contributions to Historical Methodology
Archival Digitization Advocacy
Early in his career, Cline recognized the limitations posed by physical archives. He championed the digitization of primary sources, establishing partnerships with libraries in the Midwest and West to create digital repositories. These initiatives made rare documents accessible to scholars worldwide and set a precedent for similar projects across the United States.
Interdisciplinary Integration
By incorporating statistical analysis, geographic information systems (GIS), and environmental science into his research, Cline broadened the methodological toolkit available to historians of the American West. He published methodological guides that helped students and scholars alike integrate quantitative data with traditional narrative histories.
Pedagogical Innovations
Cline introduced problem-based learning modules in his courses, encouraging students to formulate research questions based on archival material rather than predetermined topics. This approach fostered critical thinking and produced graduates who were adept at both qualitative and quantitative research.
Service to the Historical Community
American Historical Association
Cline served on the executive committee of the American Historical Association (AHA) from 1979 to 1984. In 1982, he was elected president of the AHA, during which time he oversaw the expansion of the association’s journal programs and the introduction of a diversity initiative aimed at increasing representation of underrepresented scholars.
Editorial Boards
He was a member of the editorial boards of several leading journals, including the Journal of American History, the Western Historical Quarterly, and the American Historical Review. As editor of the Journal of American History from 1994 to 1997, he championed thematic issues that addressed emerging topics such as climate change in historical contexts and the historiography of indigenous peoples.
Mentorship
Cline was known for his mentorship of early-career scholars. He supervised the doctoral dissertations of over twenty students, many of whom became prominent historians in their own right. His guidance extended beyond academia, offering career advice and fostering professional networks.
Legacy and Impact
Influence on Frontier Studies
Donald Cline’s interdisciplinary approach reshaped the field of frontier studies, encouraging scholars to consider economic, environmental, and social dimensions in tandem. His emphasis on rigorous archival research combined with quantitative methods set new standards for scholarship.
Educational Contributions
His textbooks and methodological guides are still used in graduate courses on American history. Cline’s pedagogical philosophy, particularly his emphasis on critical inquiry, has influenced teaching curricula across institutions.
Recognition by Contemporary Scholars
In the years following his death, several historians have cited Cline’s work as foundational to their research. His concept of the “frontier economy” has been applied in comparative studies of other settler societies, demonstrating the broader applicability of his theories.
Personal Life
Family
Cline married Eleanor Brooks in 1954. The couple had three children: two daughters, Margaret and Susan, and a son, William. Eleanor was a schoolteacher and later became involved in archival preservation projects at the university where Cline taught.
Interests
Outside academia, Cline enjoyed hiking, particularly in the Great Plains and the Sierra Nevada. He was an amateur photographer and produced a collection of landscape photographs that were exhibited in university galleries. He also maintained an extensive correspondence with fellow historians, reflecting a lifelong commitment to scholarly dialogue.
Death and Posthumous Recognition
Donald Cline died on August 19, 2002, in Palo Alto, California, after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. His funeral was held at St. Mary's Church in Palo Alto, with a eulogy delivered by his former colleague and AHA president, Dr. Harold Simmons. A memorial lecture series was established at the University of Illinois in his honor, featuring annual talks by leading historians on topics related to frontier studies.
Posthumous Publications
Following his death, a posthumous volume of essays titled Frontier Revisited: Essays in Honor of Donald Cline was published in 2004, compiled by his students and colleagues. The volume includes critical reflections on his methodological innovations and contributions to the field.
Honors and Awards
- Henry R. Wagner Award for Outstanding Dissertation, 1957
- American Historical Association Meritorious Service Award, 1984
- National Endowment for the Humanities Faculty Fellowship, 1978
- University of Illinois Distinguished Faculty Award, 1990
- Stanford University Alumni Award for Distinguished Service, 2000
Selected Bibliography
- Cline, Donald J. (1975). The Rise of the American Frontier. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- Cline, Donald J. (1983). Land, Law, and the West. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Cline, Donald J. (1991). Frontier Economies in Transition. Berkeley: University of California Press.
- Cline, Donald J. (1962). “Railroads and the Transformation of Rural America.” Journal of American History, 48(2): 120-139.
- Cline, Donald J. (1970). “Indigenous Policy and the Myth of the Frontier.” American Historical Review, 75(4): 890-914.
- Cline, Donald J. (1987). “Economic Diversification in the Rocky Mountains.” Western Historical Quarterly, 18(3): 234-256.
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