Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy FRHS (born 1959) is an academic historian and professor of history at the University of Virginia. Between 2003 and 2022, he was Vice President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation and the Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello.

Biography

Born in

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

in 1959, Andrew O'Shaughnessy was educated at

Bedford School Bedford School is a 7–18 Single-sex education, boys Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the county town of Bedford in England. Founded in 1552, it is the oldest of four independent schools in Bedford run by the Harpur Trust. Bed ...

. After completing his B.A. and D.Phil at Oriel College, Oxford, he taught at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

. He was subsequently appointed as a visiting professor at Southern Methodist University in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

and as Professor of American History at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, where he was chair of the History Department between 1998 and 2003. O'Shaughnessy is the author of ''An Empire Divided: The American Revolution and the British Caribbean'' (2000) and ''The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution and the Fate of the Empire'' (New Haven:

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day and Clarence Day, grandsons of Benjamin Day, and became a department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and ope ...

, 2013), which received eight national awards including the New York Historical Society American History Book Prize, the George Washington Book Prize, and the Daughters of the American Revolution Excellence in American History Book Award. It has been translated into Chinese. His most recent book is ''The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind: Thomas Jefferson's Idea of a University'' (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2021). A

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the Royal Historical Society, O'Shaughnessy is co-editor of ''Old World, New World: America and Europe in the Age of Jefferson'' (2010), ''The Founding of Thomas Jefferson's University'' (2019), and ''The European Friends of the American Revolution'' (2023). He is a general editor of the ''Jeffersonian American Series'', published by the University of Virginia Press. O'Shaughnessy's father, John O'Shaughnessy, is an Emeritus Professor of the Columbia University Business School. His brother, Nicholas O'Shaughnessy, is Professor of Communications at Queen Mary College, London University. He is a joint citizen of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Awards and honours

* 2015 Distinguished Book Award from Society for Military History for ''The Men Who Lost America'' * 2015 The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Excellence in American History Book Award. * 2014 New York Historical Society American History Book Prize for ''The Men Who Lost America'' * 2014 George Washington Book Prize for ''The Men Who Lost America'' * 2014 Cincinnati History Prize (sponsored by the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Jersey). * 2014 The American Revolution Round Table of Richmond Book Award * 2014 Fraunces Tavern Museum Book Award * 2013 The New York Round Table of the American Revolution Book of the Year. * 2013 Great Midwest Book Festival Award in Regional Literature * Finalist, 2014 Cundill Prize in Historical Literature. * Finalist, 2013 Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History.

References

External links

About the Author
*
University of Virginia faculty page
{{DEFAULTSORT:OShaughnessy, Andrew Jackson Living people Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Academics of the University of Oxford Southern Methodist University faculty University of Virginia faculty University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh faculty English writers English emigrants to the United States People educated at Bedford School British expatriate academics in the United States Fellows of the Royal Historical Society 1959 births People from Cheshire