Commager, Henry Steele, 1902-1998

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1902-10-25
Death 1998-03-02
Americans,
English,

Biographical notes:

Historian.

From the description of Reminiscences of Henry Steele Commager : oral history, [196-?]. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 122619921

From the description of Reminiscences of Henry Steele Commager : oral history, 1979. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 309728956

American historian.

From the description of The price of Eire's neutrality : printed, 1943. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122587092

American historian and teacher.

From the description of Typed letters signed (2) : New York and [n.p.], to Stark Young, 1946 Mar. 14 and [no year] Mar. 8. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270874892

Henry Steele Commager, 1902-1998, was a historian, public intellectual, and engaged citizen. He taught American Studies and History at New York University (1926-1938), Columbia University (1939-1956), and Amherst College (1956-1992). Commager was a prolific writer, editor, and public speaker.

From the description of Commager Papers, 1920-1998 (bulk 1945-1985). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 176879324

1902 Oct 25 Born in Pittsburgh, Penn. to James Williams Commager and Anna Elizabeth Dagmar Dan 1923 Completed Ph.B. at the University of Chicago 1924 Completed M.A. at the University of Chicago 1924 25 Studied at University of Copenhagen on an American-Scandinavian Foundation fellowship 1926 38 Taught at New York University: 1926-29 Instructor 1929-30 Assistant Professor 1930-31 Associate Professor 1931-38 Professor 1928 Married Evan Alexa Carroll. Children: Henry Steele, Nellie Thomas, and Elizabeth Carroll Completed Ph.D. at the University of Chicago: Struensee and the Reform Movement in Denmark Began working with Samuel Eliot Morrison on Growth of the American Republic 1929 Received American Historical Association's Herbert Baxter Adams Prize for most distinguished first book 1930 Growth of the American Republic published 1934 Documents of American History published Our Nation published, Eugene C. Barker, co-author 1936 The Great American Preacher: Theodore Parker published 1939 56 Taught at Columbia University: Visiting Professor 1937-38 Professor 1939-56 Adjunct Faculty 1956-59 1939 Wrote New York Times Magazine series advocating interventionist role in Europe Heritage of America published, edited with Allan Nevins 1940 46 History Editor for Oxford University Press 1940 Involved with Committee to Defend America by Defending the Allies 1941 Bacon Lecturer at Boston University 1940 49 Wrote regular column for Scholastic for middle and high school readers 1942 The Pocket History of the United States co-authored with Alan Nevins Richards Lecturer at University of Virginia Appointed to editorial board of The American Scholar 1942 43 Visiting Professor of American History Cambridge University, Peterhouse College Inaugurated American Studies at Cambridge University 1943 Majority Rule and Minority Rights published America: Story of a Free People published, with Allan Nevins 1943 Appointed special representative to the Office of War Information "to fulfill lecture arrangements scheduled by the British Ministry of Information" Appointed to the War Department's Historical Branch Advisory Committee 1943 Fall Assessed Nazi military power for Army Air Force with historian panel 1944 Recorded "nonpolitical talks" on American electoral process for the Office of War Information to be broadcast to Europeans on shortwave radio Majority Rules, Minority Rights published 1945 Consultant to the United States Army, attached to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force The Pocket History of the United States with Allan Nevins released under the title A Short History of the United States The Story of the Second World War published Meet the USA published 1947 48 Pitt Professor at Cambridge University 1947 "Who is Loyal to America?" published in Harper'sAmerica in Perspective published (editor) 1948 51 President of PEN 1948 The St. Nicholas Anthology compiled with Evan Commager 1950 The Blue and Grey published The American Mind: An Interpretation of American Thought and Character Since the 1880s published 1951 Appointed to the Foreign Policy Association Editorial Advisory Committee Lecturer at Salzburg Seminar in American Studies Living Ideas in America published 1952 Elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters Attended the Fulbright Conference on American Studies at Cambridge Chestnut the Squirrel published 1952 53 Held the first Harmsworth Professorship at Oxford University 1953 Lectured at Royal University Uppsala as Gottesman Professor "Guilt - and Innocence - By Association" published in the New York Times 1954 Europe and America Since 1942 published, co-authored with Geoffrey Bruun Encyclopedia of American History published, co-edited with Richard Morris New American Nation series launched by Harpers, Commager and Morris co-editors Freedom, Loyalty, Dissent published Freedom, Loyalty, Dissent earned Sidney Hillman Foundation Award 1954 Nov 24 Interviewed on CBS television program Chronoscope 1954 55 Zuskind Professor at Brandeis University 1955 56 Fulbright Professor of American History at the University of Copenhagen 1956 Lectured at German universities in State Department program 1956 92 Taught at Amherst College 1956 Smith Professor of History 1957 61 Amherst College Professor of American History and American Studies 1962 71 Winthrop H. Smith Professor of American History and American Studies 1971 92 John Woodruff Simpson Lecturer in History and Emeritus Smith Professor 1993 98 John Woodruff Simpson Lecturer, Emeritus 1956 Gave lecture series at Port of Spain, Trinidad 1957 Awarded Knight of Order of Dannebrog (Denmark) Visiting Professor at University of Aix, France 1958 The Spirit of Seventy Six published with Richard Morris Lecturer, University of Israel 1960 61 Received Guggenheim Fellowship to study American nationalism 1960 Appointed Gino Speranza Lecturer on American Traditions and Ideals at Columbia University Supported Senator John F. Kennedy as a member of the organization Intellectuals for Kennedy 1960 Editorial advisory committee to the Woodrow Wilson Papers 1961 Historical consultant to NBC television series The Americans Appeared on ABC television show Meet the Professor 1962 Appointed to the United States National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Crusaders for Freedom published 1963 Advisory Editor of History to Charles H. Merrill Books College Division 1963 Jul 31 The Dialogues of Allan Nevins and Henry Steele Commager broadcast on CBS Television Network 1964 Commonwealth Lecturer, University of London Harris Lecturer, Northwestern University 1965 Visiting Lecturer, National University of Mexico The Nature and Study of History published 1966 Elected to the National Academy of Arts & Letters "Television the Medium" in TV GuideFreedom and Order published 1967 Freedom and Reform edited by Harold Hyman and Leonard Levy published to honor Commager Donates Childe Hassam painting Flags on Friar's Club to Amherst College Chaired the Massachusetts Dissenting Democrats Active with the National Committee for Effective Congress (NCEC) 1967 Feb 20 Appeared before Senate Foreign Relations Committee to discuss foreign policy 1968 The Commonwealth of Learning published 1968 Active with Citizens for Eugene McCarthy 1968 Mar 28 Evan (Carroll) Commager died Born: 1904 Feb 4 Married: 1928 Jul 3 1970 Donated nearly 6,000 volumes to Hampshire College Library 1971 Appointed to the John Woodruff Simpson Chair at Amherst College, previously held by Robert Frost and Archibald MacLeish; appointed Emeritus Professor Served Library of Congress as Honorary Consultant in American History Funded Evan Commager Fellowship at Amherst College 1971 Mar 8 Appeared before Senate Foreign Relations Committee on War Powers Act 1972 Awarded American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for History 1972 Mar 1 Addressed the Senate Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure on issue of amnesty for Vietnam draft resisters 1973 Oct New York Times headline: "Commager Urges Nixon Impeachment" 1974 Britain Through American Eyes published The Defeat of America published 1974 Appeared on Bill Moyer's Journal television program 1975 Declaration of Interdependence for World Affairs Council published 1977 Empire of Reason published 1977 Spring Held Patten Lectureship at Indiana University 1979 Our Day and Generation: The Words of Edward M. Kennedy, editor Mort Kunstler's 50 Epic Paintings, text by Commager 1979 Jul 14 Married Mary Eleanor Powlesland 1980 Feb 20 Appeared on The Dick Cavett Show 1981 Appointed Bullitt Visiting Professor of American History at the University of Washington in Seattle for the winter and spring quarters 1984 Awarded Claude Pepper Medal for contributions to social democracy 1985 Awarded special citation from Actor's Fund of America at Night of 100 Stars II 1987 Advisor to PBS Childhood 1988 Sep 15 Appeared on Bill Moyer's A World of Ideas television series (WNET) 1990 May 2 Received the Society of American Historians, Bruce Catton Prize for Lifetime Achievement 1991 Honored with named professorship "in recognition of 35 years distinguished scholarship and dedication to the teaching" of Amherst students 1993 Commager on Tocqueville published 1998 Mar 2 Died in Amherst, Mass.

From the guide to the Henry Steele Commager Papers, 1920-1998, (bulk 1945-1985), (Amherst College Archives and Special Collections)

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Subjects:

  • United States
  • United States
  • United States
  • United States
  • Academic freedom
  • Education
  • Civil rights
  • Constitutional history
  • Constitutional history
  • Constitutional law
  • Constitutional law
  • Executive power
  • Historians
  • Historiography
  • History
  • Judicial review
  • National characteristics, American
  • Nationalism
  • Nationalism
  • Tocqueville, Alexis de, 1805-1859
  • Vietnam War, 1961-1975
  • World War, 1939-1945
  • World War, 1939-1945 Ireland

Occupations:

not available for this record

Places:

  • United States (as recorded)
  • Ireland (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)
  • United States (as recorded)

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