James, Preston

James, Preston (Everett) (1899–1986) geographer; born in Brookline, Mass. A graduate of Harvard (M.A.) and Clark (Ph.D.) Universities, he taught at the University of Michigan (1923–41), leaving to serve with the Office of Special Services in Washington, D.C. (1941–45). Professor of geography at Syracuse University (1945–70), he was a keen advocate and practitioner of fieldwork, concentrating on Latin America. His text, Latin America (1942), went through four revisions and dominated the classroom for four decades.