Bernard Moses

Bernard Norton Moses (August 27, 1846 − 1930) was professor of history and political science at the University of California, Berkeley. He is most recognized for his contributions to the study of Latin America and the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

Early life and education

Bernard Moses was born on August 27, 1846 in Burlington, Connecticut. He attended the University of Michigan and later the Heidelberg University in Germany, where he earned a law degree.

Career

Moses began his career as a professor at Albion College. In 1875 he began teaching at the University of California, Berkeley in economics, history and jurisprudence. He founded the Department of History and Political Science in 1883, and created the Department of Political Science in 1903.

Moses was known as an authority on the history of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. He was among the first American scholars to write extensively on the subject. In 1894, Moses began offering coursework in Latin American history, one of the first courses of its kind in the United States. He continued to teach courses on Latin America through the end of his academic career.

In November 1894, Moses was elected president of the San Francisco Settlement Association, and in the following year, served as the first Head Resident of South Park Settlement in San Francisco.

Moses was a member of the Second Philippine Commission from 1900 to 1902, serving under then Governor-General of the Philippines and future U.S. President William Howard Taft. He subsequently took part in the Panamerican Scientific Congress in Chile and in the International Conference of American States in Argentina. He was also assigned minister plenipotentiary to Chile in 1910.