Richard Bushman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Bushman
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Bushman in the 2016 film By Study and Also by Faith
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| Born |
Richard Lyman Bushman
June 20, 1931 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
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| Education | Harvard University (BA, MA, PhD) |
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Notable work
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Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (2005) |
| Spouse(s) |
Claudia Lauper Bushman
(m. 1955) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Columbia University |
| Thesis | Government and Society in Connecticut, 1690–1760 (1961) |
| Doctoral advisor | Oscar Handlin |
| Other academic advisors | Bernard Bailyn |
Richard Lyman Bushman (born June 20, 1931) is an American historian. He is a retired professor of history from Columbia University. He also taught at other well-known universities like Harvard University.
Professor Bushman is famous for writing Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. This book is a biography about Joseph Smith, who started the Latter Day Saint movement. Richard Bushman also helped edit the Joseph Smith Papers Project. Many people consider him a very important scholar of American religious history. In 2012, a special teaching position was created in his honor at the University of Virginia.
Contents
Richard Bushman's Life Story
Richard L. Bushman was born on June 20, 1931, in Salt Lake City, Utah. His father, Ted Bushman, was involved in fashion and advertising. His mother, Dorothy Lyman, was a secretary and homemaker. Richard grew up as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When he was young, his family moved to Portland, Oregon.
Education and Family Life
After finishing high school in 1949, Bushman went to Harvard University. He took two years off from his studies to serve as a Latter-day Saint missionary in the northeastern United States. In 1955, he graduated from Harvard with a degree in history.
In August 1955, Bushman married Claudia Lauper Bushman, who is also a historian. They have six children. Richard continued his studies at Harvard. He earned his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in American history. He studied with a famous early American historian, Bernard Bailyn.
Teaching and Research Career
Bushman taught at Brigham Young University from 1960 to 1968. During this time, he also studied history and psychology at Brown University. In 1968, he won the Bancroft Prize for his book, From Puritan to Yankee. This award is given for the best book on American history.
After that, he taught at Boston University and the University of Delaware. At the University of Delaware, he worked with historical items at the Winterthur Museum. In 1989, Bushman began teaching American colonial history at Columbia University. He became the first Gouverneur Morris Professor of History in 1992.
While at Columbia, he started writing his biography of Joseph Smith, called Rough Stone Rolling. He retired from Columbia in 2001 to finish this important book. From 2008 to 2011, Bushman held a special position at Claremont Graduate University. In 2012, a new teaching position for Mormon Studies was created in his honor at the University of Virginia.
Bushman has continued to write about early American history and Mormon history. In 2018, he published The American Farmer in the Eighteenth Century. He has also been working on a cultural history of the golden plates.
Awards and Special Recognition
Richard Bushman's work includes studies of early American social, cultural, and political history. He also studies American religious history and the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As mentioned, his book From Puritan to Yankee won the Bancroft Prize in 1968. He has also received the Phi Alpha Theta prize and Evans Biography Awards. His book Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism won the best biography award from the Mormon History Association in 1985.
Bushman has received many important fellowships, which are like grants that allow scholars to focus on their research. He also served as president of the Mormon History Association from 1985 to 1986. In 2011, a special session was held at the American Historical Association meeting to celebrate his work.
About Rough Stone Rolling
Richard Bushman's book, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, is a biography of Joseph Smith. Many people call it a major achievement in the study of Mormon history. The book has sold over 100,000 copies and won several awards. These include the Evans Biography Award and the Mormon History Association's 2006 Best Book award.
The book received many positive reviews. Some critics noted that it tried to balance respect for Joseph Smith with a logical look at his life.
Richard Bushman's Religious Views
Bushman grew up in a family that practiced the Latter-day Saint faith. When he started college at Harvard University, he found it hard to talk about his religious beliefs. Some people at Harvard thought his religion was "garbage." This made Bushman wonder if there was enough proof to believe in God. He even considered becoming an agnostic, someone who isn't sure if God exists.
However, he paused his studies to serve as a missionary for his church. During this time, he overcame his doubts and became convinced that the Book of Mormon was true. He later said that his problem wasn't a lack of faith, but finding the right words to express it.
Bushman has held several leadership roles in his church. These include being a bishop and a stake president. When asked why he studies the religion he belongs to, Bushman explained that many scholars study subjects they care deeply about. He believes this personal connection can be an advantage.
See also
- AML Awards
- Historians of the Latter Day Saint movement
- Mormonism and history
