Deutsch, Herman J.

Professor of history, Washington State University, 1926-1962.

Herman Julius Karl Deutsch was born May 29, 1897 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Deutsch earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, receiving his Ph.D. in 1926. He taught at the University of Montana from 1922 to 1926, when he moved to Washington State University; he was a member of the WSU history faculty until his retirement in 1962. After retiring, he taught at the University of Washington and also traveled to Vienna, Austria as a Fulbright lecturer. Deutsch married Lenna A. Baird in 1930. She later edited Mercer's Belles, a book about Asa Mercer's "emigration experiment" as told through the writings of journalist Roger Conant. The Deutsches had one child, a daughter, Lenna. Deutsch died in 1979 in Pullman, at the age of 82.

Deutsch was well-known for his expertise in Pacific Northwest history, and published extensively in this area. He was an active participant in community, state, and professional affairs, serving on many committees, boards, and commissions. He was involved with the Washington State Historical Society, and served on the editorial board of the Pacific Northwest Quarterly. He received formal honors for his scholarly contributions, including an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History in 1978, and a Robert Gray Medal for distinguished contributions to Washington State history.