Edward Schmitt

Edward Schmitt is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, affiliated with the College of Social Sciences and Professional Studies' Department of History. He holds a Ph.D. from Marquette University (2003). His teaching focuses on modern U.S. history, race/ethnicity dynamics, African American history, and Wisconsin history, including courses like ETHN 337 and HIST 101/102.

Schmitt's research examines intersections between politics, social change, and popular culture. His current project is a biography of activist-entertainer Dick Gregory, with recent publications including The Essential Dick Gregory (2022) and scholarly reviews in American Historical Review and Journal of Southern History. He has written extensively about poverty policy, notably analyzing Robert F. Kennedy's anti-poverty efforts and the North Carolina Fund initiative.

Recognized for teaching excellence with a 2013 Stella Gray Teaching Award nomination, Schmitt has served on university committees like the Committee on Teaching and Learning (2022) and contributed to faculty searches in Latin America and Middle East studies. His public engagement includes over 20 speaking engagements since 2013 at venues ranging from libraries to museums, including a 2013 public lecture on Dick Gregory's civil rights activism. He also participated in the Foxconn Oral History Project (2019) and National History Day (2016).