Facts:   - death place: new haven , connecticut , u.s.    - birth name: charles austin beard    - death date: 1 september 1948    - spouse: mary ritter beard    - occupation: historian , co-founder of the new school      - dead: dead    - birth date: 27 november 1874    - image size: 200px    - nationality: american    - image: charles austin beard.jpg border    - birth place: knightstown , indiana , u.s.    - alma mater: depauw columbia university -lrb- ph.d. , 1904 -rrb- university -lrb- b.a. , history , 1898 -rrb-   Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of charles a. beard .
A:
charles austin beard -lrb- november 27 , 1874 -- september 1 , 1948 -rrb- was , with frederick jackson turner , one of the most influential american historians of the first half of the 20th century .he published hundreds of monographs , textbooks and interpretive studies in both history and political science .his works included a radical re-evaluation of the founding fathers of the united states , who he believed were motivated more by economics than by philosophical principles .beard 's most influential book , `` an economic interpretation of the u.s. constitution '' -lrb- 1913 -rrb- , has been the subject of great controversy ever since its publication .while frequently criticized for its methodology and conclusions , it was responsible for a wide-ranging reinterpretation of american history of the founding era .he was also the co-author with his wife mary beard of `` the rise of american civilization '' -lrb- 1927 -rrb- , which had a major influence on american historians .an icon of the progressive school of historical interpretation , his reputation suffered during the cold war era when the subject of economic class conflict was anathema to most historians .richard hofstadter concluded in 1968 : `` today beard 's reputation stands like an imposing ruin in the landscape of american historiography .what was once the grandest house in the province is now a ravaged survival '' .hofstadter , nevertheless , praised beard , saying he was `` foremost among the american historians of his or any generation in the search for a usable past '' .