{{Short description|American historian (1940–2007)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}} '''Edward L. Dreyer''' (1940–2007) was an American historian known for his work and expertise on the history of China's Ming dynasty.
==Early life and education== Dreyer was born in 1940 in San Diego. He earned his BA in history from Harvard University in 1961 and his Ph.D. from Harvard with a thesis on ''The Emergence of Chu Yuan-chang, 1360–65''. His thesis advisors were John Fairbank and Lien-sheng Yang.
==Career== Dreyer spent most of his career at the University of Miami, where he was a professor of history from 1970 to 2007. He authored a number of books and papers on various aspects of the Ming state, including its formative years and its military and naval history, including a chapter, "Military origins of Ming China" in ''The Cambridge History of China'' (vol. 7, part 1).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YsWOAwAAQBAJ|title=China at War 1901-1949|first=Edward L.|last=Dreyer|date=May 12, 2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317899846|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://china.usc.edu/dreyer-china-war-1901-1949-1995|title=Dreyer, China at War, 1901-1949, 1995. | US-China Institute|website=china.usc.edu}}</ref>
Dreyer was a leading global authority on the Battle of Lake Poyang and the expeditions of Zheng He.
==Personal life== Dreyer was married to June Teufel Dreyer, a China expert at the University of Miami and president of the American Association for Chinese Studies (AACS).
== References == === Citations === {{Reflist}}
=== Sources === {{refbegin}} * Hermann Beck, "[http://www.historians.org/Perspectives/issues/2008/0802/0802mem2.cfm In Memoriam: Edward L. Dreyer]". ''Perspectives on History'', February 2008. {{refend}}
==External links== *[https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/february-2008/in-memoriam-edward-l-dreyer Obituary] at ''Perspectives on History'', February 1, 2008
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dreyer, Edward L.}} Category:Historians of China Category:American sinologists Category:20th-century American historians Category:American military historians Category:American male non-fiction writers Category:University of Miami faculty Category:2007 deaths Category:1940 births Category:Harvard College alumni Category:Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
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