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Introduction to Duke University History

Resources for learning about Duke University history.

Brantley York (President, 1838-1842)

an oval-shaped photo portrait of Brantley YorkBooks and Other Publications

Archival Collections

Braxton Craven (President, 1842-1863; 1865-1882)

an oval photo portrait of Braxton Craven, bearded and wearing a dark suit.Books and Other Publications

Archival Collections

Marquis L. Wood (President, 1883-1884)

Books and Other Publications  

Archival Collections

John F. Crowell (President, 1887-1894)

A photo portrait of John Franklin Crowell. He is bearded and wears glasses, a dark suit, and a tie.Books and Other Publications

Archival Collections

John C. Kilgo (President, 1894-1910)

an oval photo portrait of John C. Kilgo wearing a dark suitBooks and Other Publications

Archival Collections

William P. Few (President, 1910-1940)

photo portrait of William Preston Few wearing glasses, a dark suit, and a tie.Books and Other Publications

Archival Collections

Robert L. Flowers (President, 1940-1948)

Books and Other Publications 

  • Durden, Robert F. The Launching of Duke University, 1924-1949. Durham: Duke University Press, 1993. (print copy OR ebook)

Archival Collections

A. Hollis Edens (President, 1949-1960)

Books and Other Publications

  • Durden, Robert F. The Launching of Duke University, 1924-1949. Durham: Duke University Press, 1993. (print copy OR ebook)

Archival Collections

Douglas M. Knight (President, 1963-1969)

Douglas M. Knight, his head titled to the left, wearing dark-rimmed glasses, a gray suit, and tie.Books and Other Publications

Archival Collections

J. Deryl Hart (President, 1961-1963)

Books and Other Publications

  • Hart, J. Deryl. The First Forty Years at Duke in Surgery and the P.D.C. Durham, NC: Duke University, c1971. (print copy)

Archival Collections

Terry Sanford (President, 1970-1985)

Terry Sanford wearing a dark suit and tie.Books and Other Publications

Archival Collections

Owing to his wide-ranging political career, several archival repositories in the area hold additional collections of Terry Sanford's records and papers:

H. Keith H. Brodie (President, 1985-1993)

H. Keith H. Brodie smiles while standing at a podium. He wears a suit and tie.Books and Other Publications

  • Brodie, H. Keith H. and Leslie Banner. Keeping an Open Door: Passages in a University Presidency. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1996. (print copy or ebook available via Internet Archive)
  • Brodie, H. Keith H. and Leslie Banner. The Research University Presidency in the Late Twentieth Century: A Life Cycle/Case History Approach. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2005. (print copy)

Archival Collections

Nannerl O. Keohane (President, 1993-2004)

Nannerl Keohane stands with her arms crossed before a gothic window. She wears a navy suit and rust-colored shirt.Books and Other Publications

  • Keohane, Nannerl O. Higher Ground: Ethics and Leadership in the Modern University. Durham: Duke University Press, 2006. (print copy or ebook)
  • Keohane, Nannerl O. Thinking about Leadership. Princeton: Princeton University Press, c2010. (print copy or ebook)

Archival Collections

Richard Brodhead (President, 2004-2017)

Richard Brodhead stands in front of the Duke Board of Trustees conference table. He wears a dark suit and a Duke blue tie.Books and Other Publications

  • Brodhead, Richard H. The Good of this Place: Values and Challenges in College Education. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004. (print copy or ebook)
  • Brodhead, Richard H. Speaking of Duke: Leading the 21st-Century University. Durham: Duke University Press, 2017. (print copy or ebook)

Archival Collections