- Laurence Lafore
Laurence David Lafore (born Laurence Davis Lafore, 1917,
Narbeth ,Pennsylvania -November 24 ,1985 ,Iowa City ,Iowa ), an American historian.Background
Lafore was born into a wealthy family off the
Main Line ofPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania .The Lafore family was a
Huguenot family that fledFrance following the revocation of theEdict of Nantes . The family fled first toEngland and then toNorth America , landing in 1701.The Lafores of
Pennsylvania were relatively distinguished and Lafore followed his father and grandfather in leading aPhiladelphia charity called the "Société des Bienfaisances Françaises," which was founded in the late 1700s to aid the aristocratic refugees fleeing theReign of Terror of theFrench Revolution . It was the original intent ofMarie Antoinette or her supporters that she would make her way to Philadelphia and build a new life there.Lafore graduated from
Swarthmore College and theFletcher School of Law and Diplomacy atTufts University .One of Lafore's brothers,
John A. Lafore, Jr. , was a United States congressman from Pennsylvania and a president of theAmerican Kennel Club .World War II
For short period during the post-war reconstruction period, Lafore worked for the American State Department in
Paris ,France . He later spoke of the contrast between the superficial luxury of the palace where they had their offices and the freezing conditions, which required personnel to wear overcoats indoors.Academic career
Lafore joined the faculty at Swarthmore College in 1946 and taught there until 1969. In that year he joined the history faculty at the
University of Iowa , where he taught until his retirement in May 1984.Publications
History
While Lafore published informally in numerous outlets, including
TV Guide , he is best known for three works of history: "The Long Fuse" (1965), about the origins ofWorld War I ; "The End To Glory" (1970), about the origins ofWorld War II ; and "Days Of Emperor and Clown: The Italo-Ethiopian War, 1935-1936" (1973).Historic Preservation
Lafore's friendship with Sara Lippincott resulted in their 1965 book "Philadelphia: The Unexpected City". He later wrote the 1975 book "American Classic" about his adopted city of
Iowa City ,Iowa .
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