The School of Liberal Arts is thrilled to name History Professor Linda Pollock as the inaugural Mouton and Leatrice Bickham Memorial Chair in European History, a position announced earlier this year and endowed by the estate of Gaylord Bickham (A&S ‘56). Pollock, a historian of early modern England, calls the position an incredible honor, and an exciting moment for the field of European History at Tulane.
Originally from Edinburgh, Pollock graduated from the University of St. Andrews with a joint honors MA in Medieval History and Psychology. Though she had once planned to pursue educational psychology, an opportunity for a doctoral fellowship on the history of childhood led her down a path that secured her desire to be a historian — first to Cambridge and then to the Tulane History Department in 1988, where she has been a professor ever since. “I have never regretted being a professor,” she says, laughing about her somewhat unconventional path. “I have always thought it was a privilege to be a professor and to work on a college campus and teach college students.”
Her work still incorporates aspects of psychology, from studying the history of childhood to the history of emotions and morality in her recently published book, Affective Authority: Passions, Morality and Governance in Early Modern England (Boydell & Brewer, 2025). An author of four books and numerous articles, Pollock teaches courses on social and cultural history in 17th-century England, wider Europe, and beyond. Twice she has served as chair of the Tulane History Department.
It was during her second appointment as department chair, from 2013-2016, when Pollock had the opportunity to meet donor and alumnus Gaylord Bickham. She and a small group from the university drove to Franklinton, Louisiana to have lunch with Bickham, tour his impressive home library, and chat about Tulane, history, and so much more.
At the time, she knew Bickham was considering a gift to Tulane, but didn’t know it would have a geographical designation. “I was delighted to find out he really wanted it to be in European History,” says Pollock.
(A&S ’56)
After the visit to Franklinton, Pollock and Bickham stayed in touch, with Pollock sending the reader and history buff new publications from History Department faculty over the years. Pollock remembers Bickham as a gracious host and a great conversationalist. A lifelong resident of Franklinton, and owner and manager of the Bickham Oil Company, Bickham majored in history while at Tulane and maintained a love of the department throughout his life. He also had a passion for travel, from his frequent visits to New Orleans and its classic Creole restaurants to his forays in Europe, exploring London and Paris.
“For European History to have such a chair is a tremendous boost to everyone who works in this field, and cements European History as a value [at Tulane],” says Pollock, underscoring her excitement for this first-time role. Previously the John Barr Christie Professor in History, she now passes that role along to her colleague Brian DeMare, a scholar of modern Chinese history.
With the new position, Pollock will continue to teach courses such as “Household, Gender, and Sexuality in Early Modern Europe,” “Pain and Torture throughout History,” “Living with Feelings Interdisciplinary Honors Colloquium,” and a service-learning course on the history of parks and green spaces. She is also embarking on new research, poring over the letters of merchants in Glasgow and London to learn about 17th-century trading industries. She will also continue to mentor junior faculty, alongside research and publication, which she deems an important value for a chair.
Bickham named the endowed chair after his parents, Mouton and Leatrice Bickham, and Pollock remarks on their very French-sounding names. “An endowed chair allows donors to feel a stronger connection to the university,” she adds. “The designation must have meant something to him and to his heritage.”
A second gift from the Bickham estate bequeathed $1 million to establish the Gaylord Mouton Bickham (A&S ’56) Scholarship in Liberal Arts, providing financial support for undergraduates pursuing majors within the school of liberal arts.
Pollock began her new position as chair on July 1.