Colton, Joel, 1918-2011

Joel George Colton was born in New York, N.Y., on August 23, 1918. He earned a B.A. from the City College of New York in 1937 and a M.A. from Columbia University in 1940. From 1942 to 1946, Colton served in the U.S. Army and as a Military Intelligence Officer. He returned to Columbia University and earned a Ph. D. in 1950. Colton joined the faculty of Duke University in 1947, as an instructor in the Department of History. He taught at Duke University until 1974, when he became the Director for Humanities of the Rockefeller Foundation. Colton returned to Duke in 1982 as a Professor of History, specializing in modern European history. Throughout his career at Duke University, Colton held several administrative posts, including Chairman of the Department of History (1967-1974) and Chairman of the Academic Council (1971-1973). He authored numerous articles and books, notably Léon Blum: Humanist in Politics (New York: Knopf, 1966) and A History of the Modern World with R. R. Palmer (New York: Knopf, 1956).

From the guide to the Joel G. Colton papers, 1942-2002, (University Archives, Duke University)

...