James Thorpe (academic)

James Thorpe
4th Director of the Huntington Library
In office
October 1, 1966 – August 31, 1983
Preceded byJohn Edwin Pomfret
Succeeded byRobert Middlekauff
Personal details
Born(1915-08-17)August 17, 1915
Aiken, South Carolina
DiedJanuary 4, 2009(2009-01-04) (aged 93)
Education
Academic work
DisciplineEnglish literature
InstitutionsPrinceton University

James Thorpe (born August 17, 1915, in Aiken, South Carolina, died January 4, 2009, in Bloomfield, Connecticut)[1] was the director of the Huntington Library from 1996 to 1983,[2][3][4] and a professor of English at Princeton University. He was the author of a biography of the library namesake, Henry Edwards Huntington.[5]

Thorpe served in the United States Army Air Forces from 1941 to 1946, participating in World War II. He earned the rank of colonel and a Bronze Star Medal.

He was awarded Guggenheim Fellowships in 1949 and 1965. In 1976, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[6] He was later elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1982.[7]

He received a BA from The Citadel, an MA from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a PhD from Harvard University.[8][9]

References

  1. ↑ Thurber, Jon (January 16, 2009). "James Thorpe dies at 93; former director of the Huntington Library put it on the map". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Huntington Library Names James Thorpe as Director". The New York Times. April 14, 1966. p. 36. The Henry E. Huntington Library of San Marino, Calif., announced today the appointment of James Thorpe as its new director, effective Oct. 1. Mr. Thorpe, a specialist in 17th-century literature, is professor of English at Princeton University. He succeeds Dr. John E. Pomfret, who is retiring.
  3. ↑ "Huntington Library Gets New Director". Los Angeles Times. April 14, 1966. p. 68. James Thorpe, professor of English at Princeton University, will take over as the new director of the Henry E. Huntington Library in San Marino, Oct. 1. Library trustees appointed Thorpe to succeed Dr. John E. Pomfret, who has reached retirement age after 15 years as director.
  4. ↑ Isenberg, Barbara (March 28, 1983). "Huntington Names New Director". Los Angeles Times. p. 33. Historian Robert Middlekauff will become director of the Huntington Library, Art Gallery and Botanical Gardens on Sept. 1, the Huntington is expected to announce today. Middlekauff, 53, is the Margaret Byrne Professor of American History and provost and dean of the College of Letters and Science at UC Berkeley. He succeeds James Thorpe, 67, Huntington director since 1966, who is retiring.
  5. ↑ Henry Edwards Huntington: A Biography. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520082540. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  6. ↑ "James Thorpe". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  7. ↑ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  8. ↑ Williams, Janette (January 17, 2009). "Thorpe, former Huntington Library director, dies". Redlands Daily Facts.
  9. ↑ "James E. Thorpe '36". The Citadel Alumni Association. Retrieved February 9, 2025.


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