1938

Henry Steele Commager (1902-1998) joined the faculty of the history department in 1938 and taught until 1956. Commager was one of the most recognized historians of his time and helped define American liberalism. He was a prolific political commentator who disseminated his views to the broader public through newspaper and magazine articles and public speaking. Commager wrote extensively on American intellectual history and is most recognized for his 1950 work The American Mind: An Interpretation of American Thought and Character Since 1880s. 

Read Alan Brinkley’s review of Commager’s biography, “The Public Professor” (The New Republic, September 27, 1999).