John A. Garraty

The late John A. Garraty was one of America’s foremost historians, a Contributing Editor of American Heritage for nearly 30 years, and Chairman of the History Department of Columbia University, where he taught for forty 40 years.

Prof. Garraty was most famous for editing the 24-volume reference work American National Biography, which tells the story of the U.S. through the life histories of 17,450 of its citizens. Prof. Garraty was the author of dozens of books including Henry Cabot Lodge, Woodrow Wilson: A Great Life in Brief, and The Great Depression. He was also the author, with Mark C. Carnes, of The American Nation, a widely used college textbook now in its 13th edition. From 1969 to 1971, he served as president of the Society of American Historians.

Photo courtesy of Dan Hogan Charles / New York Times

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