Frederick Jackson Turner

Frederick Jackson Turner (1861–1932) was one of America’s most respected and influential historians, and one of the first to be professionally trained in the United States. Born and raised in the frontier town of Portage, Wisconsin, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin and earned his PhD from Johns Hopkins University. He is best known for his writings on the meaning of the frontier in American history. At the time of his death, more than 60 percent of the nation’s American history courses were being taught in accordance with his theories. In 1933, Turner was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize.