William G. Wagner (May 28, 1950 – September 12, 2021) was an American historian. His research focused on modern Russia. He joined the faculty of

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kill ...

in 1980, after graduating from Haverford College and earning advanced degrees from the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. Wagner was raised in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

, and a student of

Strong Vincent High School Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

, where he played football. From 2009 to 2010, he was the interim president of Williams. He was also Brown Professor of History Emeritus. He died on September 21, 2021, in

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolit ...

, aged 71.

References

External links

Bill Wagner papers
at Williams College Archives & Special Collections 1950 births 2021 deaths Williams College faculty Presidents of Williams College People from Erie, Pennsylvania 20th-century American historians Alumni of the University of Oxford Historians from Pennsylvania American expatriates in the United Kingdom Haverford College alumni Historians of Russia 21st-century American historians {{US-historian-stub