William Edward Leuchtenburg (born September 28, 1922) is an American historian. He is the William Rand Kenan Jr. Professor Emeritus of History at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
, and a leading scholar of the life and career of
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
.
Career
Leuchtenburg was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on September 28, 1922. On
Ken Burns' documentary series ''
Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
'', he described, when he was a child, how his father was reported for operating an illegal
distillery
Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...
during the
Prohibition Era
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacturing, manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption ...
. He received his BA degree in 1943 from
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
, where he was inducted into the
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
Society. He later received his PhD 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 ...
in 1951.
He won the 2007
North Carolina Award The North Carolina Award is the highest civilian award bestowed by the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is awarded in the four fields of science, literature, the fine arts, and public service. Sometimes referred to as the "Nobel Prize of North Carol ...
for Literature.
He served as a program consultant for
Ken Burns' documentary series ''
Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
'', which premiered on
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
in October, 2011.
He is a past president of the
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...
, 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 ...
, and the
Society of American Historians
The Society of American Historians, founded in 1939, encourages and honors literary distinction in the writing of history and biography about American topics. The approximately 300 members include professional historians, independent scholars, jou ...
.
Eric Foner
Eric Foner (; born February 7, 1943) is an American historian. He writes extensively on American political history, the history of freedom, the early history of the Republican Party, African-American biography, the American Civil War, Reconstruc ...
is the only other historian to claim that distinction.
Leuchtenburg
turned 100 on September 28, 2022.
Bibliography
Leuchtenburg is the author of more than a dozen books on 20th-century history,
[ ] including the
Bancroft Prize
The Bancroft Prize is awarded each year by the trustees of Columbia University for books about diplomacy or the history of the Americas.
It was established in 1948, with a bequest from Frederic Bancroft, in his memory and that of his brother, ...
–winning ''Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, 1932–1940'' (1963), a volume in the ''
New American Nation
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartn ...
'' series co-edited by his mentor
Henry Steele Commager
Henry Steele Commager (1902–1998) was an American historian. As one of the most active and prolific liberal intellectuals of his time, with 40 books and 700 essays and reviews, he helped define modern liberalism in the United States.
In the 19 ...
and
Richard B. Morris. His works include:
* "Progressivism and Imperialism: The Progressive Movement and American Foreign Policy, 1898-1916." ''Mississippi Valley Historical Review'' 39.3 (1952): 483-504
online* "Roosevelt, Norris and the" Seven Little TVAs"." ''Journal of Politics'' 14.3 (1952): 418-441.
*''Flood Control Politics: The Connecticut River Valley Problem, 1927–1950'' (1953)
*''The Perils of Prosperity, 1914–32'' (1958)
online*''The New Freedom: A Call for the Emancipation of the Generous Energies of a People (Introduction)'' (1961)
*''The LIFE History of the United States, Volume 11: 1933–1945 – New Deal and Global War'' (1963)
*''The LIFE History of the United States, Volume 12: From 1945 – The Great Age of Change'' (1963)
*''Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, 1932–1940'' (1963
online* "The Origins of Franklin D. Roosevelt's" Court-Packing" Plan." ''The Supreme Court Review 1966'' (1966): 347-400.
*''The New Deal: A Documentary History'' (1968)
*''Growth of the American Republic'' (2 vols.) with
Samuel Eliot Morison
Samuel Eliot Morison (July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American historian noted for his works of maritime history and American history that were both authoritative and popular. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912, and ta ...
and
Henry Steele Commager
Henry Steele Commager (1902–1998) was an American historian. As one of the most active and prolific liberal intellectuals of his time, with 40 books and 700 essays and reviews, he helped define modern liberalism in the United States.
In the 19 ...
(1969)
*''A Troubled Feast: American Society Since 1945'' (1973)
* "A Klansman Joins the Court: The Appointment of Hugo L. Black." ''The University of Chicago Law Review'' 41 (1973): 1+.
*''New Deal and Global War'' (1974)
*''The Growth of the American Republic'' (Volume I) with
Samuel Eliot Morison
Samuel Eliot Morison (July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American historian noted for his works of maritime history and American history that were both authoritative and popular. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912, and ta ...
and
Henry Steele Commager
Henry Steele Commager (1902–1998) was an American historian. As one of the most active and prolific liberal intellectuals of his time, with 40 books and 700 essays and reviews, he helped define modern liberalism in the United States.
In the 19 ...
(1980)
*''A Concise History of the American Republic'' (Single Volume) with Samuel Eliot Morison and
Henry Steele Commager
Henry Steele Commager (1902–1998) was an American historian. As one of the most active and prolific liberal intellectuals of his time, with 40 books and 700 essays and reviews, he helped define modern liberalism in the United States.
In the 19 ...
(1983)
*''In the Shadow of FDR: From Harry Truman to Ronald Reagan'' (1989; fourth edition, subtitled ''From Harry Truman to Barack Obama,'' 2009
online*''The Perils of Prosperity, 1914–1932'' (The Chicago History of American Civilization) (1993)
*''The Supreme Court Reborn: The Constitutional Revolution in the Age of Roosevelt'' (1996)
*''The FDR Years: On Roosevelt and His Legacy'' (1997)
*''American Places: Encounters with History'' (editor) (2000)
*''That Man: An Insider's Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt'' with
Robert H. Jackson
Robert Houghwout Jackson (February 13, 1892 – October 9, 1954) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Unit ...
et al. (2004)
*''The White House Looks South: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson'' (2005)
*''The Executive Branch'' (2006)
*''Herbert Hoover (The American Presidents Series)'' (2006)
*''The American President: From Teddy Roosevelt to Bill Clinton'' (2015)
References
External links
*
Interviewin
Smithsonian magazine
''Smithsonian'' is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970.
History
The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life'' maga ...
Interviewed on Humankind public radio showTestified to Senate Committee Judiciary against the Bork nomination, 23 September 1987
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leuchtenburg, William
1922 births
Living people
21st-century American historians
21st-century American male writers
American centenarians
Men centenarians
American political scientists
American political writers
American male non-fiction writers
Columbia University alumni
Cornell University alumni
Presidents of the American Historical Association
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty
Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Professors of American History
Bancroft Prize winners