Dates

• Existence: 1918 - 1994

Biography

Richard D. Poll (1918-1994) was a historian and history professor in Utah and Illinois.

Richard Douglas Poll was born on April 23, 1918 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Carl William Poll and Annie Rosella Swenson. He moved with his family to Fort Worth, Texas at the age of ten, and attended Texas Christian University (TCU). He graduated from TCU with his bachelor's in history in 1938, and completed a master's degree on a history topic in 1939. Following his graduation, he served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Germany and Canada. Poll then served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1942 to 1945. Amidst the war he married Emogene Hill in the Salt Lake Temple.

After World War II Poll returned to school, earning his Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley in 1948. He then joined the history faculty at Brigham Young University (BYU), and served as department chair from 1955 to 1958. During his time at the university he founded a chapter of the American Association of University Professors in 1959, and worked with the Honors Program. He came into conflict with the university administration, however, and resigned his position in 1969. He was then became vice president at Western Illinois University (WIU) until 1975, when he returned to teaching history. After retiring from WIU in 1983 he returned to teach classes at BYU. Poll died on April 27, 1994 in Provo, Utah.

Citation:

His Education for freedom and world understanding, 1962.

FamilySearch, 18 August 2011 (Richard Douglas Poll, born 23 April 1918, Salt Lake City, Utah; died 27 April 1994, Provo, Utah)

OCLC, 18 August 2011 (usage: Richard D. Poll)

Wikipedia.org, via WWW, Oct. 29, 2013: Richard D. Poll (Richard Douglas Poll; b. Apr. 23, 1918 in Salt Lake City, Utah; moved for Fort Worth, Tex. at age 10; served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Germany and Canada, 1939-1941; served in U.S. Army Air Force, 1942-1945; m. 1943 in Salt Lake Temple to Emogene Hill; graduated from Texas Christian University in history, 1938; master's degree on a history topic, TCU, 1939; Ph.D. in history, University of California, Berkeley, 1948; professor of history at Brigham Young University, 1948-1970; dept. chair, 1955; charter president of American Association of University Professors on campus, 1959; worked with the Honors Program; resigned from university after conflicts with administration, 1969; vice president, Western Illinois University, 1969-1975; professor of history, WIU, 1975-1983; professor of history, BYU, 1983-1994; d. Apr. 27, 1994 in Provo, Utah)

Familysearch.org, via WWW, Oct. 29, 2013 (Richard Douglas Poll; parents: Carl William Poll and Annie Rosella Swenson)

BYU Organizational History, via WWW, Oct. 29, 2013 (Richard D. Poll; dept. chair, 1955-1958)

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