Dalton, Kathleen (M.) 1948-

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DALTON, Kathleen (M.) 1948-

PERSONAL:

Born November 18, 1948, in Martinez, CA; daughter of William C. (an administrative engineer) and Kathleen Mildred (Nelson) Dalton; married E. Anthony Rotundo (a historian), June 20, 1981; children: Barbara, Peter. Education: Mills College, B.A., 1970; Johns Hopkins University, M.A., 1975, Ph.D., 1979. Religion: Protestant.

ADDRESSES:

Home—41 Salem St., Andover, MA 01810. Office—Department of History, Phillips Academy, 180 Main St., Andover, MA 01810. Agent—Gerard F. McCauley, 7 Outpost Rd., Katonah, NY 10536. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Phillips Academy, Andover, MA, Cecil F. P. Bancroft Instructor of History and Social Sciences, 1980—. Instructor, Harvard University Extension School, 1999-2000; consultant to National Park Service, Boston, MA, 2001—.

MEMBER:

Organization of American Historians.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Harvard University fellow, 1996-97, 1997-2001, 2002-03.

WRITINGS:

A Portrait of a School: Coeducation at Andover, Trustees of Phillips Academy (Andover, MA), 1986, revised edition, 2001.

Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life, Knopf (New York, NY), 2002.

(Editor, with husband, E. Anthony Rotundo) Theodore Roosevelt's Advice to Modern America, in press.

Contributor to periodicals, including the New York Times.

SIDELIGHTS:

Kathleen Dalton began writing a biography of Theodore Roosevelt while still a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University in the 1970s. The work was published in 2002 as Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life. An analytical biography of Roosevelt and the American politics of his age, the book examines the evolution of "TR" from a wealthy, asthmatic youngster to an ambitious politician with strong views on the direction his nation should take. Robert W. Merry noted in the New York Times Book Review: "In Kathleen Dalton's story, temperament triumphs over political acumen.… Dalton's approach, combining exhaustive research with lean prose, is … austere. Still, the story carries itself." Booklist contributor Jay Freeman felt that Dalton "has provided a solid, single-volume examination of one of our most attractive yet puzzling presidents." A Kirkus Reviews critic likewise felt that the author provides "respectful but critical treatment" of Roosevelt, using "material that has not been widely discussed outside professional historical literature." The same critic concluded that Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life "ranks high" among the available literature on the twenty-sixth president. In his Decatur Daily review, John Davis called the work "one of the most readable biographies to come along in years … a most engaging life."

Dalton told CA: "My biography of Theodore Roosevelt took twenty-seven years to complete because new archives kept opening and because I am deeply compulsive. I believe biography has more meaning if one person's life can be connected with the larger historical landscape. TR is to my mind the most fascinating president because he kept changing his mind, and his interests ranged broadly from science and nature, literature, art, exploring—and of course, to politics."