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Grose, Clyde LeClare, 1899-1942

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1899-1942

Biography

Clyde LeClare Grose, a specialist in early modern British history, came to Northwestern University as an Instructor in History in 1916, soon after becoming Chairman of the History Department. He remained at Northwestern until his death in 1942.

Grose was born on April 8, 1889, in Deweyville, Ohio, and spent his childhood on the family farm. He and his parents then moved to Findlay, Ohio where he attended high school; he received his bachelor’s degree from Findlay College in 1910. He went on to Harvard University, where he earned an M.A. in 1914. Grose received his PhD from Harvard in 1918 for a dissertation entitled “A Study in Restoration Anglo-French Relations Chiefly during the Years from 1674-1677.”

He joined Northwestern University as an Instructor in History in 1916, while he continued to work on his doctoral dissertation. In 1918, he served as second lieutenant in the Nineteenth Artillery Brigade. From 1922 to 1931, Grose acted as the Director of Northwestern University’s Summer Session. In 1931, he was named the William Smith Mason Professor of History. Finally, in 1942, Grose became the Chairman of the History Department.

His most notable work was the massive Selected Bibliography of British History, 1660-1760, on which he spent thirteen years. The bibliography contained 8,000 entries (all but 29 of which he had personally read) and was well received both in its initial publication in 1939 and its reissue in 1967. Other important works included Englishmen Abroad: Being an Account of their Travels in the Seventeenth Century, which was completed by Robert Munter after his death and published in 1986.

In 1921 Grose married Carolyn Trowbridge (1899-1981), a 1921 graduate of Northwestern University’s College of Liberal Arts. They had three children: Trowbridge, Virginia, and Peter. Grose fell ill in 1941 with fatal kidney disease. He continued to work from his home, holding conferences, doing research, and fulfilling his obligations as Department Chair, until his death on May 6, 1942.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Clyde Leclare Grose (1889-1942) Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 11/3/16/22
Abstract Clyde LeClare Grose, a specialist in early modern British history, came to Northwestern University as an Instructor in History in 1916, soon after becoming Chairman of the History Department. He remained at Northwestern until his death in 1942. Grose was born on April 8, 1889, in Deweyville, Ohio, and spent his childhood on the family farm. He and his parents then moved to Findlay, Ohio where he attended high school; he received his bachelor's degree from Findlay College in 1910. He...
Dates: 1917-1987