Dennett, Tyler

Dennett, Tyler (dĕn`ĭt), 1883–1949, American historian and educator, b. Spencer, Wis. Dennett was lecturer in American history at Johns Hopkins Univ. (1923–24) and at Columbia (1927–28), chief of the division of publications (1924–29) and historical adviser (1929–31) in the U.S. Dept. of State, and professor of international relations at Princeton (1931–34). As president of Williams (1934–37) he was a sharp critic of the New Deal, but favored the admission of more high school graduates to the institution, saying that a college should not be an exclusive club for the wealthy and wellborn. Disagreement with the board of trustees led to his resignation, and Dennett thereafter devoted himself to writing. He wrote, in addition to numerous articles in magazines and periodicals, several books, including John Hay (1933), which won the 1934 Pulitzer Prize for biography.