Tyler Dennett facts for kids

Tyler Dennett was an American historian and teacher. He was born on June 13, 1883, in Spencer, Wisconsin. He passed away on December 29, 1949, in Geneva, New York. In 1934, he won a special award called the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. He won it for his 1933 book about a person named John Hay.

Tyler Dennett's Early Life and School

Tyler Dennett was born in Wisconsin. However, he grew up in Rhode Island. He was a very good student in high school. He graduated at the top of his class from the Moses Brown School. This school is in Providence.

In 1900, Dennett started college at Bates College. Later, he moved to Williams College in his second year. While at Williams, he played on the college's football team. After graduating in 1904, he worked for a year. Then, he went to the Union Theological Seminary. Here, he earned a special degree in 1908. For a short time, he worked as a minister. But he soon left to become a journalist.

Tyler Dennett's Career as a Writer and Teacher

Tyler Dennett wrote many important books. Two of his early books were The Democratic Movement in Asia (1918) and A Better World (1920). In 1922, he published Americans in Eastern Asia. This book looked at how America dealt with countries in Asia. It was seen as a very important book for many years.

In 1924, Dennett wrote about a secret agreement. This agreement was between President Roosevelt and Japan. It became known as the Taft–Katsura Agreement. Dennett believed this agreement was very important for history. He thought it showed how the US and Japan started to become world powers. In 1925, he earned his PhD in history. He got this degree from Johns Hopkins University. His research on President Theodore Roosevelt and the Russo-Japanese War helped him earn it.

Dennett also taught at several universities. He taught American history at Johns Hopkins University from 1923 to 1924. He also taught at Columbia University from 1927 to 1928. Later, he taught about international relations at Princeton University. This was from 1931 to 1934.

His most important role was as president of Williams College. He served as president from 1934 to 1937. He left this job after a disagreement. He disagreed with the college's board of trustees. They wanted to buy a hotel, but Dennett felt it was not useful for the college. Dennett was also one of the first college presidents to speak out against Nazi Germany. In 1936, he stopped academic exchange programs with them.

In 1934, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. He received this award for his book, John Hay: From Poetry to Politics. This book was published in 1933.

Later Life and Passing

Tyler Dennett passed away in Geneva, New York. He died in 1949.