Early Life, Education and Career
Nelson was born in the state of New York and raised on Long Island. He graduated from The Choate School (now Choate Rosemary Hall) in Wallingford, Connecticut and in 1962 from Princeton University with a degree in religion.
After graduation, Nelson moved to California where he received his master's degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley. He left academia for nine years, working as an auto worker, machine operator, warehouseman and longshoreman. Returning to Berkeley, he received a Ph.D. in 1982.
Nelson taught at Dartmouth from 1985 to 2009, where he became a full professor.
Read more about this topic: Bruce Nelson (historian)
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