John Younker Simon (June 25, 1933 – July 8, 2008) was an
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 ...
scholar known for editing the papers 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 ...
.
Biography
Born in
Highland Park, Illinois
Highland Park is a suburban city located in the southeastern part of Lake County, Illinois, United States, about north of downtown Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 30,176. Highland Park is one of several municipalities located o ...
, to Jane Younker and Jay Simon, he was on the history faculty of
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 ...
, for 44 years. Simon had MA and PhD history degrees from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
. He received the
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 America ...
Special Achievement Award in 2004 from the
Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College
The Civil War Institute (CWI) at Gettysburg College is a non-profit organization created to promote the study of the American Civil War Era. The CWI was founded in 1982 by historian and Gettysburg College professor Gabor Boritt, an Abraham Lincoln ...
for his then-24, later 31 volume Grant series. The same year, he also received The Lincoln Forum's
Richard Nelson Current
Richard Nelson Current (October 5, 1912 – October 26, 2012) was an American historian, called "the Dean of Lincoln Scholars", best known for ''The Lincoln Nobody Knows'' (1958), and ''Lincoln and the First Shot'' (1963).
Life
Born in Colorado ...
Award of Achievement.
He died July 8, 2008 in
Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale is a city in Jackson and Williamson Counties, Illinois, United States, within the Southern Illinois region informally known as "Little Egypt". The city developed from 1853 because of the stimulation of railroad construction into the ...
at the age of 75.
Quotes
"(He is) one of the finest people I've ever met." --
Geoffrey Perret
Geoffrey Perret is an English author who writes about American history. His work focuses primarily upon the political dynamics that influence strategic and tactical military decisions, as well as broader political themes. He has published over th ...
, author of ''Ulysses S. Grant: Soldier & President''
See also
*
Bibliography of Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States (1869–1877) following his success as military commander in the American Civil War. Under Grant, the Union Army defeated t ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, John Y
1933 births
2008 deaths
20th-century American historians
American male non-fiction writers
Harvard University alumni
Historians of the United States
Historians of the American Civil War
Ohio State University faculty
People from Carbondale, Illinois
People from Highland Park, Illinois
Historians from Illinois
Southern Illinois University Carbondale faculty
Swarthmore College alumni
Ulysses S. Grant
20th-century American male writers