Costigan, Giovanni, 1905-1990

Giovanni Marie Denis George Costigan (1905-1990) was was an influential history professor at the University of Washington, as well as a popular public lecturer and a local leader in the peace movement and human rights campaigns.

Born into an Irish family on February 15, 1905 in Kingston-on-Thames, England, Costigan attended Oxford University as both an undergraduate and as a graduate student. He also received a second Master's degree and a Ph. D. from the University of Wisconsin. In 1930, Costigan began teaching history at the University of Idaho in Pocatello, where he would meet his future wife, Amne Johnson. Costigan joined the faculty of the University of Washington in 1934, specializing in English and Irish history. During World War II, Costigan served as an information officer in the U.S. Air Corps. He became a full professor in 1948 and retired in 1975. In retirement, he continued to lecture and was a popular speaker until his death in 1990. During his tenure, Costigan was openly critical of the Vietnam war and the United States involvement in Central America. His books include: Sir Robert Wilson: A Soldier of Fortune in the Napoleonic Wars (1932), Sigmund Freud: A Short Biography (1965) Makers of Modern England (1966) and History of Modern Ireland (1969). Costigan married Amne Johnson in 1931; she died in 1995.

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