John R. Borchert

Doctor John R. Borchert
Born	(1918-10-24)October 24, 1918 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	March 30, 2001(2001-03-30) (aged 82) Ramsey County, Minnesota, U.S.
Title	Regents' Professor Emeritus of Geography
Term	1981-1989
Spouse	Jane W. Borchert
Children	4
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Branch	Army Air Forces
Service years	1942 - 1945
Rank	Major
Service number	11049832
Unit	Eighth Air Force
Website	https://www.borchert.com/john/index.htm
Signature

John Robert Borchert (October 24, 1918 - March 30, 2001) was an American geographer and Regents' Professor at the University of Minnesota. His most notable work, Borchert's Epochs, is still taught as a model for American Urbanization. ^[1] He is the namesake for the John R. Borchert Map Library at the University of Minnesota. ^[2]

Early life and education

Borchert was born on October 24th, 1918 in Chicago, Illinois to Ernest J.Borchert and Maude (Gorndt) Borchert. As he grew up in Crown Point, Indiana, Borchert was observant to the converging geographies within the industrial heartland. Borchert frequently traveled by train to Chicago with his father, who was a railroad postal worker. This exposure to transportation logistics gave rise to Borchert's study of mail routing in the Northeast and Midwest. He would later credit his childhood encounters, and observations of his father as some of his most formative personal and intellectual experiences. ^[3]

Borchert was initially interested in pursuing a career in journalism, ^[4]

References

1. "Concepts of Urbanization". www.macalester.edu. Archived from the original on 2006-09-16. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
2. "About Professor Borchert | University of Minnesota Libraries". www.lib.umn.edu. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
3. Adams, John S. (2001-05-01). "JOHN ROBERT BORCHERT: OCTOBER 24, 1918-MARCH 30, 2001" . Urban Geography. doi:10.2747/0272-3638.22.4.291. ISSN   0272-3638.
4. Adams, John S.; Ruttan, Vernon W. (2003). "JOHN ROBERT BORCHERT". In National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (ed.). Biographical Memoirs. Vol. 82. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. pp. 40–63. doi:10.17226/10292 . Retrieved 30 November 2025.