Robert M. Utley


Robert Marshall Utley is an American author and historian who has written sixteen books on the history of the American West. He is a former chief historian for the National Park Service.
Much of his writing deals with the United States Army in the West, especially in its confrontations with the Indian tribes. He writes:
The Western History Association annually gives out the Robert M. Utley Book Award for the best book published on the military history of the frontier and western North America.

Early life and education

Utley was born on October 31, 1929 in Bauxite, Arkansas. During his childhood, his parents, Don Williams Utley and Valeria Haney, moved him to northwestern Indiana, where he attended high school. Later, he attended nearby Purdue University, receiving a Bachelor of Science in history. He then attended Indiana University for graduate school, receiving a Master of Arts in history in 1952. Following his graduation, Utley served in the U.S. Army, and then joined the National Park Service.
In 1997 he was awarded the Samuel Eliot Morison Prize for lifetime achievement given by the Society for Military History.

Selected bibliography