Thomas Alan Schwartz (born 1954) is an American historian. He is the Distinguished Professor of History and Professor of Political Science and European Studies at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

. He is a biographer of

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

, Lyndon B. Johnson, and

John J. McCloy John Jay McCloy (March 31, 1895 – March 11, 1989) was an American lawyer, diplomat, banker, and a presidential advisor. He served as Assistant Secretary of War during World War II under Henry Stimson, helping deal with issues such as German sa ...

Biography

Schwartz earned his B.A. from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and PhD 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 taught at

, and has been teaching at Vanderbilt since 1990. His specialization includes the history of America's foreign relations and twentieth century American history. He formerly served as president of the

Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations The Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR) was founded in order to “promote excellence in research and teaching of American foreign relations history and to facilitate professional collaboration among scholars and students ...

. From 2005 to 2008, Schwartz served on the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

’s Historical Advisory Committee as the representative of the

Organization of American Historians The Organization of American Historians (OAH), formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S. and abroad inc ...

. He was the lead drafter of the committee's 2007 annual report to the Secretary of state and

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

, which noted that the

Office of the Historian The Office of the Historian is an office of the United States Department of State within the Foreign Service Institute. It is legally responsible for the preparation and publication of the official historical documentary record of U.S. foreign po ...

at the State Department was having trouble retaining staff historians. It was reported that Schwartz' dismissal from the committee was due to his criticism of Marc J. Susser's management style.

Publications

*
America's Germany: John J. McCloy and the Federal Republic of Germany
''

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retirem ...

, 1991 *
Lyndon Johnson and Europe: In the Shadow of Vietnam
'' Harvard University Press, 2000 * ''Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography,'' Hill and Wang, 2020

Awards

Schwartz received the Stuart Bernath Book Prize of the

, and the Harry S. Truman Book Award, given by the

Truman Presidential Library The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and resting place of Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States (1945–1953), his wife Bess and daughter Margaret, and is located on U.S. Highwa ...

in 1992 for the book, ''America's Germany''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwartz, Thomas Alan Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Columbia College (New York) alumni Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Vanderbilt University faculty Harvard University faculty American historians Presidents of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations American biographers