Lander, Ernest M., Jr. (Ernest McPherson), 1915-2013

Ernest McPherson Lander, Jr. was born December 16, 1915 in Calhoun Falls, SC. Educated in local schools, he received an A.B. degree from Wofford College in 1937, an M.A. from the University of North Carolina in 1939, and a Ph. D., also from UNC, in 1950. From 1937 to 1940, Lander was a teacher and coach at various high schools. He first became a member of the Clemson College faculty in 1941 and continued until his retirement in 1983, with interruptions for military service and sabbaticals. In December 1942, Lander was called into military service with the U.S. Army Air Forces and served in India from 1944-1946. He returned to Clemson in 1946, was awarded tenure in 1958 and appointed Alumni Professor of History in 1969. Twice Lander was a Fulbright Lecturer in American history. His service to the University included terms on the Faculty Senate and the Graduate Committee. Lander was a prolific researcher and author in the area of Southern history. Among the works authored by Lander were: South Carolina: the Palmetto State, The Calhoun Family and Thomas Green Clemson: The Decline of a Southern Patriarchy and The Life and Times of Ella Lorton, a Pendleton, SC Confederate.