David Morris Potter
- Born: December 6, 1910
- Birthplace: Augusta, GA
- Died: February 18, 1971
David Morris Potter was the posthumous winner of the 1977 Pulitzer Prize in History for his 1976 work, The Impending Crisis, 1848-1861, an analysis of slavery and sectionalism.
With a bachelor's degree from Emory University, a master's and PhD from Yale, and a second master's from Oxford, Potter taught American History at a number of universities, including the University of Mississippi, Rice University, Queen's College (England), Yale, Stanford, University of Chicago, University College (London), Louisiana State, Connecticut College, University of Delaware, University of Wyoming, Stetson University and State University of NY. He received honorary doctorates from the University of Wyoming and Emory, and Louisiana State awarded him the Jules F. Landry Award (1968) for his book, The South and the Sectional Conflict.
Among his other books are Lincoln and His Party in the Secession Crisis (1942), People of Plenty: Economic Abundance and the American Character (1954), The American Round Table Discussions on People's Capitalism (1957), Select Problems in Historical Interpretation (1949-50), Nationalism and Sectionalism in America, 1775-1877 (1961), The Background of the Civil War (1961), Division and the Stresses of Reunion, 1845-1876 (1973) and Freedom and Its Limitations in American Life (1976). Potter also edited a number of books. He died before he was able to complete The Impending Crisis; Don E. Fehrenbacher edited and wrote the two concluding chapters of the book which won the National Book Award, as well as the Pulitzer Prize in History.
Most Famous Works
- The Impending Crisis, 1848-1861 (1976)
- The South and the Sectional Conflict (1968)
