Richard Clement Wade

Richard Clement Wade (July 14, 1921 – July 18, 2008) was an American historian and urban studies professor who advised many Democratic politicians and candidates. As a historian, he pioneered the interdisciplinary application of social science techniques to the study of urban history and promoted cities as an important academic subject.

Early life Although born in Des Moines, Iowa, Wade grew up in Winnetka, Illinois.

Wade attended New Trier High School and was a tennis star.

Career Academics Wade continued his graduate education at Harvard University, where he studied under Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr.

Views His first book The Urban Frontier (1959) was a challenge to Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier thesis, asserting that the catalysts for western expansion were the Western cities like Pittsburgh, Louisville, and Cincinnati, not the pioneer farmers.

Works The Urban Frontier: The Rise of Western Cities, 1790–1830 (1959) read online Slavery in the Cities: The South, 1820–1860 (1964) Chicago: Growth of a Metropolis (1973) (with Harold Melvin Mayer)