Edward A. Purcell Jr. (born Kansas City, Missouri) is an American historian.
Purcell grew up in Kansas City, Missouri.
He received a Ph.D. in 1968 from the University of Wisconsin, then taught at the University of California, Berkeley and at Wellesley College before attending Harvard Law School, where he received a J.D.
He is the Joseph Solomon Distinguished Professor at New York Law School.
[1] His work has appeared in Virginia Law Review, The University of Pennsylvania Law Review, UCLA Law Review, American Historical Review, the Journal of American History, and the American Quarterly.