  william edward dodd (october 21, 1869 â february 9, 1940) was an american historian of the south. a liberal democrat, he served as the united states ambassador to germany from 1933 to 1937 during the nazi era. president roosevelt, seeking peace in europe, first ignored and then fired dodd over his strong public denunciations of hitler.marks (1985) ==early years and academic career== dodd was born on october 21, 1869, in clayton, north carolina. he earned his bachelor's degree from the virginia polytechnic institute (virginia tech) in 1895 and a master's degree in 1897. he earned his ph.d. at the university of leipzig in 1900.{{cite web |
1869_births 1940_deaths Ambassadors_of_the_United_States_to_Germany American_academics American_historians American_political_writers American_speechwriters Deaths_from_pneumonia Disease-related_deaths_in_Virginia Franklin_D._Roosevelt_Administration_personnel Illinois_Democrats Leipzig_University_alumni People_from_Johnston_County,_North_Carolina Presidents_of_the_American_Historical_Association RandolphaMacon_College_faculty University_of_Chicago_faculty Virginia_Tech_alumni Virginia_Tech_faculty