Oliver, John William, 1888-1979

John William Oliver, Sr., was born April 12, 1885 and died February 29, 1972. Throughout his academic career, Oliver led an active life serving as professor and head of the Department of History at the University of Pittsburgh (1923-1954). Oliver was a professor of American history, specializing in the history of applied science and technology. Prior to teaching at the University of Pittsburgh, he served as director of the Indiana State Historical Society from 1916-1923. He was also active in military service, serving as 2nd Lieutenant Field Artillery in World War I. As a child Oliver grew up on a farm in the Leemon community near Fruitland, Missouri. He was the son of L. C. Oliver and Mary Louise (Alexander) Oliver. Oliver attended the University of Missouri on a history scholarship, receiving his A.B. and B.S. in 1911 and A.M. in 1912. After completing his education, he moved to Wisconsin to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin. From 1914-1916, he was awarded the American History Fellowship and completed his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin in 1915. Additionally, Oliver was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters from Geneva College in 1948. Oliver's productive career also extended to his leadership roles in several important institutions. In 1924 he was named chairman of the National Archives Commission to lead a campaign to establish a new National Archives building in Washington, D.C. In 1929 Oliver was appointed chairman of the Western Pennsylvania Historical Survey (1929-1936). The survey was funded by the Western Pennsylvania Historical Society, The Buhl Foundation, and the University of Pittsburgh. It consisted of five volumes of surveys on Western Pennsylvania's economic and social history. Oliver's other achievements included his contributing affiliations with the Pennsylvania State Historical and Museum Commission (1932-1957), American Historical Association, Mississippi Valley Historical Association, Missouri State Historical Society, and the American Newcomers Society, among others. In addition, he was a distinguished chairman of an advisory committee for preparing the history of the Navy's Research and Development Bureau during World War II and also advocated for the building of the Stephen Foster Memorial on the University of Pittsburgh's main campus. The latter was the result of his relationship with the pharmaceutical industrialist and philanthropist Josiah Kirby Lilly, whom Oliver persuaded to become trustee of the Indiana Historical Society. After hearing of Lilly's love of Foster, Oliver started a movement to erect a building for the Pittsburgh-born native and pre-eminent songwriter. That memorial is still part of the campus today. Oliver and his wife moved to Winter Park, Florida, in 1956 after his retirement from the University of Pittsburgh. While residing there he served as a part-time lecturer at Rollins College (1956-66). He had also been a lecturer at the University of Sorbonne in Paris for one summer. Oliver is the author of History of American Technology published in 1956. Throughout his career, he contributed numerous articles to prestigious journals including The Scientific Monthly.