Dwight C. Miner

Dwight Carroll Miner (November 4, 1904 – August 1, 1978) was an American historian and educator. Miner held the post of Moore Collegiate Professor of History at Columbia University.

Dwight C. Miner
Born	Dwight Carroll Miner (1904-11-04)November 4, 1904 New York City, New York, United States
Died	August 1, 1978(1978-08-01) (aged 73) Ridgewood, New Jersey, United States
Occupation(s)	Historian Educator
Spouse	Marie
Children	3 (Dorothy, Richard, and Robert)
Relatives	Dorothy Miner (twin sister)
Academic background
Alma mater	Columbia University
Thesis	The Fight for the Panama Route: The Story of the Spooner Act and the Hay–Herrán Treaty (1940)
Academic work
Discipline	History
Sub-discipline	American history

Career

Miner was born to Roy Waldo, who was curator of marine life at the American Museum of Natural History, and Anna Elizabeth Carroll. Miner was of British and Irish descent from his father's and mother's side, respectively. He was a fraternal twin with his sister, Dorothy Eugenia Miner, who became the first keeper of manuscripts at the Walters Art Museum.^[1] Born in New York City, he graduated from the local Horace Mann School in 1922. Miner then went on to receive all of his degrees from Columbia University: a Bachelor of Arts in 1926, Master of Arts in 1927, and Doctor of Philosophy in 1940. His doctoral dissertation studied the Spooner Act and the Hay–Herrán Treaty.^[2]

Upon completing his master's degree, Miner began teaching at Columbia as an instructor, and was promoted to the rank of professor in 1948. In 1965, he was given the Mark Van Doren Award for Teaching.^[3] A year later, Miner appeared on the cover of the May 6 issue of Time magazine as one of the top ten professors in the United States.^[4][5] A year later, his professorship was endowed and became the Moore Collegiate Professor of History. Miner retired from teaching at Columbia in 1973.

Miner died of cancer in 1978 at the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. His career papers are held in the Columbia University Libraries.^[6] A posthumous portrait of Miner was painted by Joyce Ballantyne in 1982 and is now in the National Portrait Gallery.^[7]

Miner and his wife Marie had a daughter, Dorothy Marie Miner, and two sons, Dr. Robert Dwight Miner and Richard Thomas Miner.^[5][8]

See also

• List of Americans of Irish descent
• List of Columbia University alumni and attendees
• List of Horace Mann School alumni

References

1. Sicherman, Barbara & Green, Carol Hurd eds. (1980). Notable American Women. Belknap Press.
2. Miner, Dwight C. (1940). The Fight for the Panama Route: The Story of the Spooner Act and the Hay–Herrán Treaty. Octagon Books.
3. "Trilling and Van Doren Awards". Columbia College. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
4. "Great Teachers". Time. May 6, 1966. p. Cover. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
5. Ennis, Thomas W. (August 2, 1978). "Dwight C. Miner, Ex‐Professor Of U.S. History at Columbia, 73". The New York Times.
6. "Dwight D. Miner papers on the history of Columbia University, 1938-1978 | Rare Book & Manuscript Library | Columbia University Libraries Finding Aids".
7. "Dwight C. Miner".
8. Dunlap, David W. (October 23, 2008). "Dorothy Miner, 72, Legal Innovator, Dies". New York Times. Retrieved January 31, 2024.