Bernard Allen Weisberger (August 15, 1922 – April 9, 2024) was an American historian.[1] Weisberger taught American history at several universities including the University of Chicago, Wayne State University, and the University of Rochester, where he was chair of the department.[2] He has written more than a dozen books and worked on documentaries with Bill Moyers and Ken Burns. His article "The Dark and Bloody Ground of Reconstruction Historiography," which received the Charles Ramsdell Prize is considered a standard in the study of the Reconstruction period.[3]
Bernard Weisberger | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bernard Allen Weisberger August 15, 1922 New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 9, 2024 (aged 101) |
| Education | Columbia University (BA) University of Chicago (PhD) |
| Occupation(s) | Writer Historian |
Weisberger was a contributing editor of American Heritage, where he was a columnist for ten years.[4] He published 120 articles in the magazine, with his first appearing in 1955.[5]
Weisberger was also a member of the National Hillel Commission and a participant in the civil rights movement.[1]
In 1942, he graduated from Columbia University and joined the Signal Intelligence Service, which later became the National Security Agency. He studied the Japanese language in a crash course at Columbia, and then served in the Pacific translating intercepted Japanese radio messages that had been decoded by cryptanalysts, but still needed translation.[6] After the war, he received his PhD from University of Chicago.[7]
Weisberger turned 100 in August 2022. He died on April 9, 2024, at the age of 101.[8]
Selected books
editHis books include:
- The La Follettes of Wisconsin: Love and Politics in Progressive America (University of Wisconsin Press, 1994)
- America Afire: Adams, Jefferson, and the Revolutionary Election of 1800 (Morrow, 2000)
- When Chicago Ruled Baseball: The Cubs-White Sox World series of 1906 (Harper Collins, 2006).
References
edit- ^ a b Encyclopaedia Judaica, vol. 8, "Historians," p.550, 1971 (2nd ed.)
- ^ "History Doyen: Bernard A. Weisberger | History News Network". historynewsnetwork.org. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
- ^ "History Doyens: What They're Famous For". History News Network, George Mason University. Archived from the original on 2007-08-06.
- ^ "Bernard A. Weisberger Biography". HarperCollins. Archived from the original on 2010-02-07. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
- ^ "Bernard A. Weisberger". American Heritage Magazine.
- ^ Weisberger, Bernard (Fall 2009). "Eavesdropping on the Rising Sun". American Heritage Magazine. 59 (3). Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ "Take Five with Bernie Weisberger '43". Columbia College Today. 2017-11-03. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
- ^ "Bernard Allen Weisberger, PhD". Chicago Tribune. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.