David K. Wyatt, 69; professor was top expert on Thailand’s history
David K. Wyatt, 69, a leading authority on Southeast Asia and widely recognized as the foremost historian on Thailand, died of emphysema and congestive heart failure Tuesday at a hospice in Ithaca, N.Y.
He taught and worked for 36 years at Cornell University, serving as director of the Southeast Asia Program, chairman of the history department and as the John Stambaugh professor of history and Asian studies before retiring in 2002.
Born in Massachusetts in 1937, Wyatt studied philosophy at Harvard University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1959. He received a graduate degree in history from Boston University and a doctoral degree from Cornell in 1966.
After teaching at the University of London and the University of Michigan, Wyatt accepted a position at Cornell in 1969.
His many books include “Thailand: A Short History,” which for many years has been the standard for textbooks on Thai history.
Wyatt had an extensive collection of historical documents from southeast Asia. Last year, Ohio University acquired the collection, which consisted of roughly 15,000 volumes, including Thai royal chronicles and diaries.
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