 He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1931 from the University of Wisconsin–Platteville (then Platteville State College) in Platteville.He thereafter obtained his Master of Arts and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1932 and 1937, respectively, where he was under the influence of William B. Hesseltine.There he formed close friendships with Frank Freidel and Richard N. Current, with whom he later authored a standard U.S. history textbook dedicated to Hesseltine.