John F. Marszalek is an American historian who served as Executive Director and Managing Editor of the
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
Association and ''The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant'' project from 2008-2022.
Background and education
Marszalek was born in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
. He received his
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
from
Canisius College
Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master's ...
in 1961.
He received a
Master's Degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in 1963 and his
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in 1968, both from the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
.
Career
Marszalek taught at
Canisius College
Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master's ...
and
Gannon University
Gannon University is a private Catholic university in Erie, Pennsylvania. Gannon University has approximately 4,500 students and 46,000 alumni. Its intercollegiate athletics include 18 athletic programs for men and women competing at the NCAA D ...
before moving to
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...
for the remainder of his career. After 29 years as a professor, Marszalek retired in 2002 to become
Professor Emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
.
In 1994 he was appointed the
William L. Giles Distinguished Professor. From 1998 to 2012, he served as the Director of the Mississippi State University Distinguished Undergraduate Scholars Program.
Ulysses S. Grant Association and ''Papers of Ulysses S. Grant''
After
John Y. Simon
John Younker Simon (June 25, 1933 – July 8, 2008) was an American Civil War scholar known for editing the papers of Ulysses S. Grant.
Biography
Born in Highland Park, Illinois, to Jane Younker and Jay Simon, he was on the history faculty of ...
's death in July 2008, Marszalek became the Executive Director and Managing Editor of the
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
Association and ''The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant'' project.
He was instrumental in the move of Grant's papers from
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Southern Illinois University (SIU or SIUC) is a public research university in Carbondale, Illinois. Founded in 1869, SIU is the oldest and flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system. The university enrolls students from all 50 s ...
to
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...
. With Anne Marshall's appointment as his replacement in 2022, Marszalek was named Executive Director Emeritus of the Ulysses S. Grant Association.
Research
Over the course of his career, Marszalek has published more than 300 articles and book reviews and written or edited 13 books.
His research has primarily focused on the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, specifically Civil War generals
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
,
William T. Sherman
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
, and
Henry Halleck
Henry Wager Halleck (January 16, 1815 – January 9, 1872) was a senior United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer. A noted expert in military studies, he was known by a nickname that became derogatory: "Old Brains". He was an important par ...
, but he has also written on local Mississippi history, the history of racial conflict at
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
, and the
Eaton affair.
Awards and other achievements
Marszalek's book ''Sherman: A Soldier’s Passion for Order'' was a finalist for the 1993
Lincoln Prize The Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, founded by the late Richard Gilder and Lewis Lehrman in partnership with Gabor Boritt, Director Emeritus of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College, is administered by the Gilder Lehrman Institute for Ameri ...
.
The
Mississippi Historical Society
The Mississippi Historical Society (MHS) is a historical society located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The society was established in 1858 but was terminated soon after because of the outbreak of the American Civil War. It remained in hiatus u ...
awarded Marszalek the
Richard Wright Literary Award for lifetime achievement by a Mississippi author and the B.L.C. Wailes Award for national distinction in history, the society’s highest award.
On April 13, 2018, Marszalek won the Nevins-Freeman Award, the most prestigious honor given by The Civil War Round Table of Chicago.
Showtime made Marszalek's book ''Court Martial: A Black Man in America'', into the motion picture ''
Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker''.
As of 2022, Marszalek serves on the Executive Committee of The Lincoln Forum.
Publications
* ''Court-Martial: A Black Man in America''. New York: Scribner, 1972; subsequently published as ''Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of
Johnson Whittaker'' (New York: Collier Books, Macmillan Pub. Co., 1994). Made into a movie.
* (With Sadye Wier) ''A Black Businessman in White Mississippi, 1886–1974''. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1977.
* (Editor) ''The Diary of Miss
Emma Holmes, 1861–1866''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1979.
* ''
Sherman
Sherman most commonly refers to:
*Sherman (name), a surname and given name (and list of persons with the name)
** William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General
*M4 Sherman, a tank
Sherman may also refer to:
Places United St ...
’s Other War: The General and the Civil War Press''. Memphis State University Press, 1981.
* (By Douglas L. Conner, M.D., with John Marszalek) ''A Black Physician’s Story: Bringing Hope in Mississippi''. Foreword by
Aaron Henry. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1985.
* ''
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
: A Bibliography''. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press, 1988.
* (Editor with Charles D. Lowery. ''Encyclopedia of African-American Civil Rights: From Emancipation to the Present''. Foreword by
David J. Garrow. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press, 1992.
* ''Sherman: A Soldier's Passion for Order''. New York: Free Press, 1993.
* (Coeditor with Wilson D. Miscamble) ''American Political History: Essays on the State of the Discipline''. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame, 1997.
* ''The
Petticoat Affair
The Petticoat affair (also known as the Eaton affair) was a political scandal involving members of President Andrew Jackson's Cabinet and their wives, from 1829 to 1831. Led by Floride Calhoun, wife of Vice President John C. Calhoun, these wome ...
: Manners, Mutiny, and Sex in
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
's White House.'' New York: Free Press, 1997.
* ''
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea (also known as the Savannah campaign or simply Sherman's March) was a military campaign of the American Civil War conducted through Georgia from November 15 until December 21, 1864, by William Tecumseh Sherman, major ...
''. Abilene, Texas: McWhiney Foundation Press, 2005.
* ''A Black Congressman in the Age of
Jim Crow
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the Sout ...
: South Carolina's
George Washington Murray'' Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida Press, 2006.
* (Coeditor with David S. Nolen and Louie P. Gallo. ''The Personal Memoirs of
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
: The Complete Annotated Edition''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2017.
* (With David S. Nolen, Louie P. Gallo, and
Frank J. Williams. ''Hold On With a Bulldog Grip: A Short Study of Ulysses S. Grant''. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 2019.
References
External links
Ole Miss page on MarszalekAnnouncement about Grant Papers moving to Mississippi State*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marszalek, John
Living people
1939 births
Writers from Buffalo, New York
United States Army officers
Canisius College alumni
University of Notre Dame alumni
21st-century American historians
21st-century American male writers
Mississippi State University faculty
Canisius College faculty
Gannon University faculty
American people of Polish descent
Historians from New York (state)
American male non-fiction writers