Robert Olwell

Imaginary Empire: British Adventures in Florida on the Eve of the American Revolution

My book project: “Imaginary Empire” examines how Britons (and a few British-Americans) perceived the new colony of East Florida after its acquisition by the terms of the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Separate chapters are devoted to examining different “adventures” (or projects) that were planned and in some cases implemented in the colony by prominent members of the British establishment and setting them in the context of contemporary discourse and debate and ambitions regarding pseudo-scientific, political, imperial, and economic thought.

Biography: I was born in Milwaukee and spent my first 24 years there (or nearby, in Sussex, Wisconsin). I earned a B.A., and M.A., in history from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee before departing in August 1985 for Baltimore and the History Ph.D. program at Johns Hopkins. After completing my Ph.D., I taught for three years at Mount Saint Mary’s College in Maryland, and then for thirty-two years at the University of Texas at Austin (before retiring in 2025). My wife, Julie Hardwick, and I met when she came from England to complete an M.A. in history at UWM in 1984. She is an IRH fellow this year, and I have been given a courtesy appointment as an honorary fellow. I am excited by the opportunity to return to my home state after 41 years away!