William Leonard Langer (March 16, 1896 – December 26, 1977) was an American historian, intelligence analyst and policy advisor. He served as chairman of the history department at

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 was on leave during World War II as head of the

Research and Analysis Branch The Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) is an intelligence agency in the United States Department of State. Its central mission is to provide all-source intelligence and analysis in support of U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy. INR is t ...

of the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all branc ...

. He was a specialist on the diplomacy of the periods 1840–1900 and World War II. He edited many books, including a series on

European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD 500), the Middle Ages (AD 500 to AD 1500), and the modern era (since AD 1500). The first early ...

, a large-scale reference book, and a university textbook.

Early life

Born in

South Boston, Massachusetts South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformati ...

, he was the second of three sons of recent German immigrants, Charles Rudolph and Johanna Rockenbach. His elder brother,

Rudolf Ernest Langer Rudolf Ernest Langer (8 March 1894 – 11 March 1968) was an American mathematician, known for the Langer correction and as a president of the Mathematical Association of America. Career Langer, the elder brother of William L. Langer, earned his P ...

, became a mathematician and his younger brother,

Walter Charles Langer Walter Charles Langer (February 5, 1899 – July 4, 1981) was an American psychoanalyst who was best known for preparing a psychological analysis of Adolf Hitler in 1943. Langer studied psychoanalysis at Harvard University, where he worked as a pro ...

, a

psychoanalyst PsychoanalysisFrom Greek language, Greek: + . is a set of Theory, theories and Therapy, therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a bo ...

. When William was only three, his father died unexpectedly, leaving the family in difficult circumstances. Nevertheless, his mother, who supported the family by working as a dressmaker, made education a priority for her children.

Education and career

After studying at the

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...

, Langer attended

. Langer was fluent in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, and taught German at

Worcester Academy Worcester Academy is a private school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the oldest educational institution founded in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, and one of the oldest day-boarding schools in the United States. A coeducational prepara ...

while furthering his own education with courses on

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research universities in the ...

. His job and education were interrupted by military service

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After the war, he returned to his studies and obtained his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in 1923. In 1921 he married Susanne Katherina Langer (née Knauth) who became a noted philosopher. They had two sons together before divorcing in 1942. He taught modern European history at

for four years before accepting an assistant professorship at Harvard. In 1936 Langer became the first to hold the Archibald Coolidge chair. Langer was remembered at Harvard especially for his History 132 course on modern European history, History 157 on the Ottoman Empire, and the graduate seminars held at his home. He also taught at the

Harvard Extension School Harvard Extension School (HES) is the extension school of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school is one among 12 schools that grant degrees and falls under the Division of Continuing Education in the Harvard Faculty of Arts ...

. With the help of other scholars during the 1930s, Langer completely revised the ''

Epitome of History An epitome (; gr, ἐπιτομή, from ἐπιτέμνειν ''epitemnein'' meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents "t ...

'' by German Scholar

Karl Ploetz Karl Julius Ploetz (8 July 1819 – 6 February 1881) was a German author of scholarly works, most notably his '' Epitome of History'' published in the English language in 1883. Ploetz was born in Berlin. He is credited with the idea of arranging h ...

. Langer's massive work was published in 1940 under the title '' An Encyclopedia of World History''. Its fifth edition (1972) is the last to be edited by Langer.

Peter N. Stearns Peter Nathaniel Stearns (born March 3, 1936) is a professor at George Mason University, where he was provost from January 1, 2000 to July 2014. Stearns was chair of the Department of History at Carnegie Mellon University and also served as the ...

and thirty other prominent historians edited the sixth edition, published in 2001. Stearns paid tribute to Langer's great achievement in the introduction to the new edition.

Later career

In 1957, Langer urged historians to expand their insights with techniques from modern psychology.

War service

Langer was an enlisted man in the United States Army Chemical Service in

, and saw combat in a

chemical weapons A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized Ammunition, munition that uses chemicals chemical engineering, formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be an ...

unit on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

in France. He described the experience in a book he wrote with another man in his

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

. During World War II, Langer served in the new

(OSS) as deputy chief and later chief of the Research and Analysis Branch until the end of the war. In correspondence he was identified as

OSS 117 OSS 117 is the codename for Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, a fictional secret agent created by French writer Jean Bruce. Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath is described as being an American Colonel from Louisiana of French descent. After service in the Off ...

, a codename which entered

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

popular culture in 1949 for an unrelated iconic fictional character of books and film. He was special assistant for intelligence analysis to

U.S. Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

James F. Byrnes James Francis Byrnes ( ; May 2, 1882 – April 9, 1972) was an American judge and politician from South Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in U.S. Congress and on the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as in the executive branch, mos ...

. In 1950 Langer organized the

office of National Estimates The National Intelligence Council (NIC), established in 1979 and reporting to the Director of National Intelligence, bridges the United States Intelligence Community (IC) with policy makers in the United States. The NIC produces the "Global Tren ...

in the newly established

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

After war

After the war, Langer returned to academia, but from 1961 to 1977 he served on the President's

Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board The President's Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB) is an advisory body to the Executive Office of the President of the United States. According to its self-description, it "provides advice to the President concerning the quality and adequacy of ...

Honors

William Langer was awarded the

Medal for Merit The Medal for Merit was, during the period it was awarded, the highest civilian decoration of the United States. It was awarded by the President of the United States to civilians who "distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious conduct i ...

by President Truman in July 1946 in recognition of his wartime service. He was also awarded 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, ...

in 1954. Postwar, both Harvard and

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

awarded Langer

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

degrees as did the

University of Hamburg The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vor ...

in 1955. Among his many involvements, Langer served as 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 ...

for 1957. Langer received the Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet o ...

in 1965.

Selected bibliography

* revised as: Gas and Flame in World War I (1965
online
* ''An

Encyclopedia of World History ''The Encyclopedia of World History'' is a classic single-volume work detailing world history. The first through fifth editions were edited by William L. Langer. The Sixth Edition contained over 20,000 entries and was overseen by Peter N. Stea ...

: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, Chronologically Arranged''. © 1972, 1968, 1952, 1948, & 1940
1948 edition online
* ''The Franco-Russian Alliance 1890–1894'' (1929
online
* ''European Alliances and Alignments 1871–1890'' (1931) (second edition with supplementary bibliographies, Vintage, 1950)
online
* ''The Diplomacy of Imperialism, 1890–1902'' (1935) (two volumes
online copy
* ''Our Vichy Gamble'' (1947) * ''The Challenge to Isolation, 1937–1940'' (1952) with S. Everett Gleasonbr>online
* ''The Undeclared War, 1940–1941'' (1953) with S. Everett Gleason *''

Conyers Read Conyers Read (April 25, 1881 – December 24, 1959) was an American historian who specialized in the History of England in the 15th and 16th centuries. A professor of history at the universities of Chicago and Pennsylvania, he was president of th ...

, 1881–1959: Scholar, Teacher, Public Servant'' (M. and V. Dean, 1963) * ''Political and Social Upheaval, 1832–1852'' (1969
online
* ''In and out of the ivory tower''(1977), autobiograph
online

References

Sources

*''In and Out of the Ivory Tower: The Autobiography of William L. Langer'' (Neele Watson Academic Publications, 1977) {{DEFAULTSORT:Langer, William L. 1896 births 1977 deaths 20th-century American historians 20th-century American male writers American Unitarians United States Army personnel of World War I Clark University alumni Clark University faculty American people of German descent Harvard University alumni Harvard University faculty Writers from Boston Presidents of the American Historical Association People of the Office of Strategic Services Historians of American foreign relations People of the Central Intelligence Agency The Fletcher School at Tufts University faculty University of Chicago faculty Yale University faculty Columbia University faculty Medal for Merit recipients Members of the American Philosophical Society Boston Latin School alumni Historians from Massachusetts Harvard Extension School faculty Bancroft Prize winners American male non-fiction writers