John A. Munroe 1914-2006

First published October 1993.

Dr. Munroe was a popular teacher of history at the University of Delaware from 1942 to 1982 and chaired the history department from 1952 to 1969. He has been editor of Delaware History, the publication of the Historical Society of Delaware, since 1969. He is or has been on the boards of directors or trustees of the Eleutherian Mills-Hagley Foundation, the Historical Society of Delaware, and the University of Delaware Library Associates.

Munroe was born in Wilmington in 1914 and lives in Newark today. He studied at the University of Delaware and The University of Pennsylvania. An early interest in Delaware history is exemplified by his 1941 master's thesis, Relations Between the Continental Congress and the Delaware Legislature, 1776-1789. His doctoral dissertation was on Delaware during the Revolutionary period and was the basis for his book Federalist Delaware. A list of his major publications follows.

Relations Between the Continental Congress and the Delaware Legislature 1776-1789. 1941.
Delaware Becomes a State. Newark, Del., University of Delaware Press, [1953], 1969. 28 p. illus. by Albert Kruse, revised and expanded edition 1987.
Federalist Delaware, 1775-1815. New Brunswick, N.J., Rutgers University Press, 1954. xiv, 286 p. fold map. Reprinted in paperback with some corrections, University of Delaware, c1982.
Timoleon's Biographical History of Dionysius, Tyrant of Delaware. Newark, University of Delaware Press, 1958. (By James Tilton, 1745-1822 notes by Thomas Rodney, 1744-1811. Edited by John A. Munroe.) xi, 77 p.
Delaware, a Students' Guide to Localized History. New York, Teachers College Press, 1965. x, 36 p.
Louis McLane: Federalist and Jacksonian. New Brunswick, N.J., Rutgers University Press [1973], xi, 763 p. illus.
Colonial Delaware a History. Millwood, N.Y., KTO Press, c1978. xvii, 292 p., illus.
Citations to Quoted Matter in John A Munroe, Colonial Delaware. 1978.
Church vs State: the Early Struggle for the Control of Delaware College. Univ. of Del. 1982.
History of Delaware. Newark, University of Delaware Press, c1979. 302 p., illus. 2nd edition: Newark, University of Delaware Press London, Associated University Presses, c1984, 304 p. 3rd edition: Newark, University of Delaware Press London, Associated University Presses, 1993, 304 p.
Books, Bricks & Bibliophiles the University of Delaware Library. Newark, Del., University of Delaware, 1984. (By Carol E. Hoffecker and John A Munroe.) 156 p., illus.
The University of Delaware, a History. Newark, Del., University of Delaware, 1986. 516 p., illus., maps.

The following books include introductions, chapters, speeches, or prefaces by Munroe.

[Munroe, DiMichele, Frank, McNeal] Coffee Run: The Story of the Beginnings of the Catholic Faith in Delaware. 1960.
Old New Castle and Modern Delaware, the Tercentenary of the Founding of New Castle by the Dutch An Exhibition at the Library of Congress. Washington, U. S. Govt. Print. Off. (By the Library of Congress. John A. Munroe's dedicatory speech is included in the text.) 1951. iv, 59 p. illus.
Delaware Politics, 1904-1954. privately printed, 1961? (By Daniel Oren Hastings, introduction by John A. Munroe.) 67 p.
Historical Landmarks of Delaware and the Eastern Shore. Delaware State Society, Daughters of the American Colonists, 1963, etc. (Written and illustrated by Betty Harrington Macdonald, edited by Jeannette Eckman, preface by John A. Munroe.)
The Collected Essays of Richard S. Rodney on Early Delaware. Wilmington, Del., Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Delaware. 1975. (Edited by George H. Gibson, introduction by John A. Munroe.) xii, 278 p.
New Sweden the 350th Anniversary of the Settlement of the Swedes and Finns in Delaware. Newark, Del. 1988. (An exhibition catalog compiled by Gary E. Yela, introduction by John A. Munroe.) 32 p., illus., maps.

Update

john munroe photo
Dr. John A Munroe
(Picture courtesy of
Dr. Munroe's family.)

In 2005 I got a phone call from Dr. John A. Munroe, passing on a new mailing address. He also told me that at age 91 he was still working. In 2004 he had published two books.

The first was a reprint of his Colonial Delaware A History. Published by the Delaware Heritage Press, it has material not included in the 1978 original. The title was first issued as part of the History of the American Colonies Series which did not permit footnotes. The new volume has complete citations of the quoted material. I believe it is available in soft cover or hardback.

The second is The Philadelawareans, and other essays relating to Delaware published by the University of Delaware Press. It is a collection of articles published in many places from 1945 on about the relation of Delaware to Philadelphia in the late 18th century. Some of the originals are difficult for the researcher to find today. Some of the articles are totally new.

The subjects include: The eve of the Revolution &mdash The New Castle tercentenary &mdash Nonresident representation in the Continental Congress : the Delaware Delegation of 1782 &mdash The ins and outs of politics : early nineteenth-century Delaware &mdash The Delaware physician of 1800 &mdash The Negro in Delaware &mdash Eight newspaper columns &mdash Delaware as an antique &mdash Separation Day &mdash The Old Collector (Allen McLane) &mdash Reflections on Delaware and the American Revolution &mdash Church versus state : the early struggle for control of Delaware College &mdash The first map of Delaware after statehood &mdash Delaware and the Constitution : an overview of events leading to ratification &mdash A Parson in politics : the expulsion of John C. Brush from the Delaware General Assembly in 1801 &mdash Three nineteenth-century immigrants &mdash The trip to Philadelphia.

John A. Munroe died Sept. 6, 2006. See obituary information.

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