Clements Center Remembers Wm. Roger Louis

Wm. Roger Louis was one of the most influential historians of the British Empire, known especially for his work on later British imperialism in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Born in Detroit in 1936 and raised in Oklahoma, he first encountered segregation through the YMCA, an experience he credited with sparking his lifelong commitment to civil rights. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Oklahoma, he went to Oxford on a Marshall Scholarship in 1960, earning his doctorate in just two years under A.J.P. Taylor.

Louis taught at Yale from 1962 to 1970 before moving to The University of Texas at Austin, where he spent about fifty years, holding the Kerr Chair in English History and Culture and the title of Distinguished Teaching Professor. He served as editor-in-chief of The Oxford History of the British Empire and as president of the American Historical Association, and UT students named him Professor of the Year in 2009 for his dedication to them.

To learn more about his life and legacy, read the full tribute from the UT Department of History: A Tribute to Wm. Roger Louis