Rister, Carl Coke, 1889-1955

Historian, author, professor. Born in 1889 in Hayrick, Coke County, Texas. Awarded B. A. (1915) by Simmons College in Abilene, Texas , M.A. (1919) and Ph. D. (1925) by George Washington University. Served on the faculty of Simmons University (now Hardin-Simmons University) from 1920-1929; University of Oklahoma from 1929-1951; and Texas Technological College from 1951-1955. Served as president of the Mississippi Valley Historical Society, and was a member of numerous academic and historical organizations. Author and co-author of eleven books and numerous articles, all pertaining to the Southwestern and Western United States. Died in 1955 in Rotan, Texas.

From the description of Papers, 1834-1956, 1946-1949. (Texas Tech University). WorldCat record id: 24097764

Author, historian, professor.

From the description of Harmful practices of Indian traders of the Southwest, 1865-1876, 19--]. (Denver Public Library). WorldCat record id: 19969814

Son of a Baptist minister, Carl Coke Rister was born on June 30, 1889, in Hayrick, Texas. He graduated from Simmons College (now Hardin-Simmons University) in 1915 and married Mattie May in 1916. While working for the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., he attended George Washington University and earned a master's degree in 1920. Afterwards, he began teaching at Simmons College and attending summer school at the University of California, Berkeley.

Later, Rister returned to teach at George Washington University while working on his Ph.D, which he received in 1925. He then returned to teach at Simmons College and helped form the West Texas Historical Association, serving as the editor of its Yearbook from 1925 to 1929.

For the next 22 years, Rister taught at Oklahoma University, serving as professor of history, chairman of the history department, and research professor of history. His work in the areas southwestern military, Indian, and oil history garnered him notable reputation in his field. In 1951, Rister began teaching history at Texas Technological College. He passed away on April 16, 1955.

The Handbook of Texas has published a more in-depth online biography of Carl Coke Rister at http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/search.html

From the guide to the Carl Coke Rister Papers, S 854. 1., 1834-1963 and undated, (Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University)