Biography
Jay H. Buckley received a PhD in History from the University of Nebraska after receiving his BA and MA in History from BYU. Currently an Associate Professor of History, Buckley is the Director of the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies (https://reddcenter.byu.edu) and Director of BYU’s interdisciplinary American Indian Studies Minor (https://native.byu.edu).
Buckley is author of the award-winning William Clark: Indian Diplomat (2008). He also wrote A Golden Jubilee History: The Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at BYU, 1972-2022 (2022). Other peer-reviewed, co-authored books include: By His Own Hand?: The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis (2006); Zebulon Pike, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West (2012); Great Plains Forts (2023).
His co-authored and edited books on public history, local history, pedagogical history, and historical reference include: Orem [Utah] (2010); Historical Dictionary of the American Frontier (2015); Explorers of the American West: Mapping the World through Primary Documents (2016); Explorers of the American East: Mapping the World through Primary Documents (2018); The Life and Adventures of Mr. Eli Wiggill: South African 1820 Settler, Wesleyan Missionary, and Latter-day Saint (2024).
Buckley served as President of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation (2011-12), which provides national leadership on scholarship, education, and conservation pertaining to the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. His teaching and research specialties include the fur trade, Lewis & Clark, exploration & migration, Indigenous-white relations, the South African frontier, and western themes.
Current book project: Woolly Wonders: A History of Sheep Herding and Ranching in Utah and the Intermountain West
Research Interests
His research specialties include Lewis & Clark, exploration & migration, Indigenous-white relations, Rocky Mountain fur trade, South African frontier, and other western themes.Teaching Interests
Professor Buckley teaches courses pertaining to American West, American Indian, Utah, and US history and American Studies courses. Buckley directs the American Indian Studies minor and directs BYU's Charles Redd Center for Western Studies.Education
- PhD, History , American West; American Indian, University of Nebraska (2001)
- MA, History , American West; American Indian, Brigham Young University (1996)
- BA, History , Brigham Young University (1994)
Honors and Awards
- 2024 Scholarly Advisory Board, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (2024 - 2025)
- 2024-25 Achievement in Mentoring Award, College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences (2024 - 2025)
- 2024-25 Frank W. Fox Award for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring, History Department (2024 - 2025)
- 2023 BYU Faculty Guest Coach of the Week , BYU Football Team (2023 - 2023)
- 2023 Distinguished Service Award, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation (2023 - 2023)
- 2018 Gary E. Moulton Lectureship Honoree, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation; National Lewis and Clark Historic Trail (2018 - 2018)
- 2015-2018 Visiting Scholar, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (2015 - 2018)
- 2017 Clarence Dixon Taylor Historical Research Award prize for Utah History, Charles Redd Center for Western Studies (2017 - 2017)
- 2015 Outstanding Teacher, History Department, Chair Selection, History Department (2015 - 2015)
- 2015 William P. (Bill) Sherman Fellow Award, Portage Route Chapter, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation (2015 - 2015)
- 2014 John Topham and Susan Redd Butler BYU Faculty Research Award, Charles Redd Center for Western Studies (2014 - 2014)
- 2013 Clarence Dixon Taylor Historical Research Award; best scholarly book on Central Utah, 2008-2013, Charles Redd Center for Western Studies (2013 - 2013)
- 2013 Colorado Book Award Finalist, Colorado Humanities (2013 - 2013)
- 2010 Meritorious Achievement Award, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation (2010 - 2010)
- Eagleton-Walters Book Award, best book on the political history of Missouri, State Historical Society of Missouri (2009 - 2009)
- Missouri History Book Award; Best Book on Missouri and Missourians, State Historical Society of Missouri (2009 - 2009)
- Mollie and Karl G. Butler Young Scholar Award, Charles Redd Center for Western Studies (2006 - 2008)
- Lewis E. Atherton Prize, State Historical Society of Missouri (2000 - 2001)
Memberships
- Charles Redd Center for Western Studies (2001 - Present)
- Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance (2001 - Present)
- Museum of Peoples and Cultures (2001 - Present)
- Museum of the Fur Trade (2001 - Present)
- Museum of the Mountain Man (2001 - Present)
- Oregon-California Trails Association (2001 - Present)
- Utah Historical Society (2001 - Present)
- Western History Association (2001 - Present)
Professional Citizenship
- Editorial Review Board Member, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (2024 - Present)
- Committee/Council Member, Mormon History Association (2024 - Present)
- Board Member, Utah Valley Historical Society (2011 - Present)
- Editorial Review Board Member, Lewis and Clark Trail Alliance (2008 - Present)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, McFarland and Company Press (2024 - 2024)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, University of Nebraska Press (2024 - 2024)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, University of Nebraska Press (2024 - 2024)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, University of Nebraska Press (2023 - 2023)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Washington State University Press (2023 - 2023)
- Officer, President, Utah Valley Historical Society (2022 - 2023)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Center for Great Plains Studies (2022 - 2022)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Journal of Mormon History (2022 - 2022)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Journal of Mormon History (2021 - 2021)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, University of Nebraska Press (2021 - 2021)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, University of Oklahoma Press (2015 - 2021)
- Committee/Council Member, Alpine School District
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Journal
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Utah State Historical Society, Utah Historical Quarterly
- Committee/Council Chair, Western History Association (2018 - 2020)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, University of Pennsylvania Press
- Committee/Council Member, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation (2013 - 2016)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Rowman and Littlefield
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, University Press of Oklahoma
- Officer (specify in Other), Orem Historic Preservation Advisory Commission (2011 - 2015)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Company (2014 - 2014)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, South Dakota Historical Association (2014 - 2014)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Journal of American History, Organization of American Historians
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, University of Oklahoma Press (2002 - 2013)
- Officer (specify in Other), Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation (2012 - 2013)
- Committee/Council Member, Western History Association (2011 - 2012)
- Officer (specify in Other), Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation (2011 - 2012)
- Officer (specify in Other), Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation (2011 - 2012)
- Board Member, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation (2007 - 2011)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Great Plains Quarterly
- Other, Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Rocky Mountain Fur Trade Journal
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Western Historical Quarterly
- Committee/Council Member, Western History Association (2009 - 2010)
- Officer, Utah History Day (2008 - 2008)
- Officer, Orem Historic Preservation Advisory Commission (2004 - 2008)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, BUILDING A DEMOCRATIC NATION (2005 - 2005)
- Editorial Review Board Member, Exploring the West: The Legacy of Lewis and Clark
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, FIRST PEOPLES: A DOCUMENTARY SURVEY OF AMERICAN INDIAN HISTORY. (2005 - 2005)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Center (2004 - 2004)
- Guest Speaker, William P. Sherman Library & Archives (2004 - 2004)
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, American Studies Journal
- Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Copley Publishing (2002 - 2002)