Hal Bridges

Hal Bridges, Professor Emeritus of History at UC Riverside (UCR), died peacefully from pneumonia on March 8, 2010, at the age of 91. Dr. Bridges was born into a family of journalists: his grandfather, father, and sister all worked as the editor-in-chief of the Luling Signal of his hometown, Luling, Texas. He was the son of Harold Bridges and Lyda Lois King. Dr. Bridges was the valedictorian of his high school class in 1936 and subsequently enrolled at the University of Texas. After completing his degree in journalism, he intended to join the Civil Service in Washington, DC, but with the start of the Second World War, he instead ended up enlisting in the US Army. He served in the Army for five years, spending three years in Egypt and various locations in the Mediterranean, and successfully completing Officers School and earning the rank of Major.

Upon completing his military service, Dr. Bridges enrolled at the Columbia School of Journalism, and ultimately received his Ph.D. from Columbia University with a specialization in American social and intellectual history. In 1950, he joined the faculty at the University of Arkansas, subsequently moved to the University of Colorado, where he remained for eleven years, and then became Professor in the Department of History at UCR.

Dr. Bridges was the author of three acclaimed scholarly books, Iron Millionaire: The Life of Charlemagne Tower (1952), Lee's Maverick General: Daniel Harvey Hill (1961), and American Mysticism: From William James to Zen (1977). Additionally, he wrote numerous scholarly articles and reviews dealing with the Civil War, including for the New York Times Book Review, the American Historical Review, and the Saturday Review. Frank Vandiver, a leading Civil War writer and author of Mighty Stonewall and Jubal's Raid wrote of Dr. Bridges: "This is one of the most brilliant in the field and a man who writes with great clarity and charm." On his ninetieth birthday, he self-published his first novel, Lincoln and the Single Eye: A Tale of Mysticism, the Presidency, Love and Murder in Wartime Washington, a book he penned in hopes of inspiring others in searching for mystical truth, a lifelong interest of his.

At UCR, Dr. Bridges taught courses in American history and was especially eager to share his encyclopedic knowledge of the Civil War era and the social and intellectual currents of mid-to-late 19^th century America. He retired from UCR in 1979, and he and his wife Alice moved to Sedona, Arizona, and later to Cottonwood, Arizona. Dr. Bridges was survived by his wife Alice, two daughters, Lois and Stephanie, and three grandchildren.

Written by Katja M. Guenther with information provided in:

1. Wright, Phillip “Retired historian writes first novel at 90: World War II vet fictionalizes Civil War.” January 6, 2009. Valley Verde Independent and Camp Verde Bugle. Accessed on January 6, 2022 at https://www.verdenews.com/news/2009/jan/06/retired-historian-writes-first-novel-at-90/ 
2. Obituary published in the Valley Verde Independent and Camp Verde Bugle, March 11, 2010. Accessed on January 6, 2022 at https://www.verdenews.com/news/2010/mar/11/hal-bridges-1919-2010/