Specialist in the history of modern Japan
James B. Crowley, professor emeritus of history and a specialist in the history of modern Japan, died on Feb. 17 at age 77.
Crowley, who taught at Yale for 40 years, was an expert in the military history and policies of Japan. In addition to writing numerous articles, he was the author of the book "Japan's Quest for Autonomy: National Security and Foreign Policy, 1930-1938" and editor of "Modern East Asia: Essays in Interpretation." He served as a consultant for the U.S. State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency and, at the request of the Japanese government, he was a keynote speaker at the commemorative service for Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (1884-1943), who commanded the Japanese Navy during World War II.
The Yale scholar was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on July 11, 1929, the son of William G. Crowley Sr. and Edith Buckley Crowley. After receiving his B.A. and M.A. in European history from the University of Connecticut, he taught high school in the Hartford area. Following service in Army Intelligence during the Korean War, he returned to school, receiving M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Japanese history from the University of Michigan. He held assistant professorship posts at the University of Michigan and at Amherst College before coming to Yale in 1963. During his years here, he served as director of undergraduate studies in Japanese studies and as director of graduate studies in history and East Asian studies. He continued to work with graduate students after his retirement from Yale in 2003 and through his illness.
He received grants from the Hoover Institute, the Fulbright Foundation and the Ford Foundation, and did research at Tokyo University and the London School of Economics with funding from the National Defense Education Act and the Award of the American Council of Learned SocietiesSocial Science Research Council.
Crowley is survived by his wife, Joan Sullivan Crowley; his son, Jonathan Crowley and his wife, Gretchen; and his daughters Barbara Crowley and Sheila Crowley and her husband, Keith Donovan.
At the family's request, donations in Crowley's honor may be sent to the American Heart Association, 5 Brookside Dr., Wallingford, CT 06492.
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James B. Crowley: Specialist in the history of modern Japan
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Kathryn Perrone: Assistant to the president
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