Background
Van Larsen Perkins was born on May 22, 1930, in Standardville, Utah, United States, to Howard Edward and Maude (Larsen) Perkins.
Van Larsen Perkins was born on May 22, 1930, in Standardville, Utah, United States, to Howard Edward and Maude (Larsen) Perkins.
In 1956, Perkins received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Utah. In 1958, he received a Master of Arts from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in 1966.
From 1951 to 1955, Van Perkins was a purchasing agent at Betchtel Corporation of San Francisco, California. Then, from 1960 to 1964, he was an instructor of history, and assistant professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. In 1962 and 1964, Perkins was a Manager of United States Senatorial and House of Representatives campaigns, Democrats, Utah and California.
From 1964 to 1968, Van was an assistant professor at the University of California in Riverside, from 1968 to 1973, he was an associate professor there, from 1971 to 1973, he held the position of associate dean, and from 1973 to 1991, Perkins was a professor of history at the University of California.
Perkins was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union, Sierra Club, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Audubon Society, Wilderness Society, Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi.
On February 14, 1951, Perkins married Colleen Campbell, but they divorced in August 1984, and Van married Katherine Marie Bennett on January 17, 1986. Perkins has five children from his first marriage: Mark, Cheryl, Scott, Brett and Regan.