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Bernard Weisberger

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Bernard Weisberger
Born
Bernard Allen Weisberger

(1922-08-15)August 15, 1922
New York, U.S.
DiedApril 9, 2024(2024-04-09) (aged 101)
EducationColumbia University (BA)
University of Chicago (PhD)
Occupation(s)Writer
Historian

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]

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

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His 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

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  1. ^ a b Encyclopaedia Judaica, vol. 8, "Historians," p.550, 1971 (2nd ed.)
  2. ^ "History Doyen: Bernard A. Weisberger | History News Network". historynewsnetwork.org. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  3. ^ "History Doyens: What They're Famous For". History News Network, George Mason University. Archived from the original on 2007-08-06.
  4. ^ "Bernard A. Weisberger Biography". HarperCollins. Archived from the original on 2010-02-07. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  5. ^ "Bernard A. Weisberger". American Heritage Magazine.
  6. ^ Weisberger, Bernard (Fall 2009). "Eavesdropping on the Rising Sun". American Heritage Magazine. 59 (3). Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Take Five with Bernie Weisberger '43". Columbia College Today. 2017-11-03. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  8. ^ "Bernard Allen Weisberger, PhD". Chicago Tribune. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
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