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Chester Verne Easum was born on March 30, 1894 in Clayton, Illinois. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Knox College in 1914. From there, he served as both principal and United States History teacher at Knoxville High School, Illinois between 1914 and 1915. In 1916, he traveled to England to study at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, but his studies were interrupted by the United States' entry into World War I.

During the war, Easum served in the American Expeditionary Force and Army of Occupation as a combat infantry officer, in addition to being an army school instructor. Following the war, he returned to the University of Oxford and received his second Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master's degree. When he returned to the United States, he accepted a position as a United States and Modern European History instructor at the Culver Military Academy in Indiana.

In 1927, Easum attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a Ph.D. candidate, receiving his degree in 1928. His scholarly interests were concentrated in German history and the history of World War I and World War II.

Easum later became a professor at the University of Wisconsin, teaching there until his retirement in 1964 as Professor of History Emeritus. He passed away on December 28, 1979.