Stanley Ira Kutler (August 10, 1934 – April 7, 2015) was an American
historian, best known for his lawsuit against the
National Archives and
Richard Nixon that won the release of
tape recordings Nixon made during
his White House years, particularly those in relation to the
Watergate scandal.
Early life and education
Kutler was born in 1934 in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, the son of Robert (a printer) and Zelda (Coffman) Kutler. He married Sandra J. Sachs in 1956, and they had four children. He attended
Bowling Green State University (B.A., 1956) and
Ohio State University (Ph.D., 1960). He was also a William Green fellow at
Ohio State University, 1959-1960.
Academic career
He was an instructor in history at
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...
(1960–1962) and then taught at
San Diego State University (assistant professor 1962–1964); In 1964, he was hired in the Department of History at the
University of Wisconsin—Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ro ...
associate professor 1964-1970, professor of history 1970–1994 and thereafter as professor emeritus), 5 https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-stanley-kutler-20150409-story.html
He has written widely in a number of fields of American history, concentrating on
American constitutional history
The United States Constitution has served as the supreme law of the United States since taking effect in 1789. The document was written at the 1787 Philadelphia Convention and was ratified through a series of state conventions held in 1787 and ...
and the twentieth century. His earliest book was ''Judicial Power and Reconstruction Politics'' (University of Chicago Press, 1968). His other major books include ''The Wars of Watergate'' (Knopf, 1990); ''The American Inquisition'' (
Hill & Wang, 1982), winner of the Silver Gavel Award, American Bar Association, 1983; ''Privilege and Creative Destruction: The Charles River Bridge Case'' (Norton, 1978; revised edition, 1989).
He has authored or edited more than half a dozen textbooks in various fields of American history. His scholarly articles have appeared in leading history and legal periodicals.
Prominent among his published works are editing the new edition of the ''Dictionary of American History'', a ten-volume work (Scribner's 2002), which was awarded the
American Library Association Best Reference Book Award. He also edited the four-volume ''Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century America'' (Scribner's, 1995) and ''The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War'' (Scribner's, 1995). The Vietnam volume received the A.L.A.'s Best Reference Prize in 1996, and the 20th Century work was awarded the prize for the best reference work by the
Association of Book Publishers
Association may refer to:
*Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal
*Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry
*Voluntary associatio ...
.
Kutler's book ''Abuse of Power: The New Nixon Tapes'' (
Free Press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exerc ...
, 1997) stemmed from his successful lawsuit against the National Archives and Nixon to force the release of the long-suppressed
audio recordings
Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, Mechanical system, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of ...
of many conversations that Nixon had secretly recorded during his time in the White House. In 2009, Kutler was accused of errors in editing and transcribing the tapes, which resulted in White House counsel
John Dean being portrayed in a more favorable light than was warranted. Kutler denied the charges.
Kutler founded ''
Reviews in American History'' and edited it from 1972 to 1997.
Kutler wrote op-ed pieces and reviews for many publications and appeared as an occasional commentator on
National Public Radio, as well as ''
Today'', ''
Nightline
''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. Created by Roone Arledge, the progra ...
'', and many other television programs. He also worked as a consultant on a number of film projects, including historical advisor for the
Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
-winning
BBC documentary ''
Watergate
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...
'', and he was advisor for the
Showtime film ''
The Day Ronald Reagan Was Shot''.
Honors
Kutler has been a
Guggenheim Fellow, holder of the Garibaldi Chair in Political Science,
University of Bologna, 1991, Distinguished Exchange Scholar (
National Science Foundation) for China in 1982, and Fulbright 40th Anniversary Distinguished Lecturer, Peru, in 1987, Bicentennial Professor,
Tel Aviv University, Israel, in 1984, and
Fulbright Lecturer
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...
, Japan, 1977.
Death
In 2015, Kutler died in
Fitchburg, Wisconsin aged 80. He is survived by his wife, his three children and seven grandchildren.
References
External links
Stanley Kutler - Professor Emeritus University of Wisconsin (archived 2013)
*
Stanley Kutler University of Wisconsin Law School. Accessed 2010-12-22.
Centennial Alumni Awards -Stanley Kutler '56 Bowling Green State University. Accessed 2010-12-22.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kutler, Stanley
1934 births
2015 deaths
Academic staff of Tel Aviv University
American historians
Jewish American historians
American male non-fiction writers
Bowling Green State University alumni
Ohio State University alumni
21st-century American Jews