Turner, Frederick Jackson (1861-1932)

US historian, professor at Harvard University 1910-24. He emphasized the significance of the frontier in US historical development, attributing the distinctive character of US society to the influence of changing frontiers over three centuries of westward expansion.

Turner was born at Portage, Wisconsin, and educated at the universities of Wisconsin and Johns Hopkins. His publications include The Frontier in American History 1920, The Significance of Sections in American History 1932 (Pulitzer Prize), and The United States, 1830-1850 1935.