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Frank W. Blackmar

American historian (1854-1931)

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 3, 2026
Entity authorityQ747613 ↗
Source-derived summary

Frank Wilson Blackmar (November 3, 1854 – March 30, 1931) was an American sociologist, historian and educator. He served as the 9th President of the American Sociological Society (now known as the American Sociological Association).

Biography

He was born on November 3, 1854, in Springfield Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania.

Before earning a Ph.D. in 1889 at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, he was a professor of mathematics in the University of the Pacific (1881–1886). After he became a professor of history and sociology at the University of Kansas. Ten years later he was made professor of sociology and economics at the same university. He became active in the university extension movement throughout the western United States, writing and lecturing on history, sociology and economics. He was elected dean when the graduate school of the University of Kansas was organized in 1896.

He wrote several books of local history, handbooks of economy and some political pamphlets.

In 1915 he co-authored, with John L. Gillin, Outlines of sociology, described as "the first widely used introductory text" on sociology.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Frank W. Blackmar” as american historian (1854-1931). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1854, 1931, 1889, 1881—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1854-11-03. The account is most persuasive where Frank, Blackmar and American can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as american historian (1854-1931). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 3, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q747613. VIAF identifies the subject as 22508710. The Library of Congress control number is no2001090957. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1854, 1931, 1889 and 1881.

Critical limits

Later biographies can compress uncertainty and repeat inherited reputations, so apparently settled claims may still require comparison. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Frank W. Blackmar”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Frank W. Blackmar primary sources, Frank W. Blackmar archive and Frank research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Frank W. Blackmar”?
  2. Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
  3. How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Frank W. Blackmar” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.