Historical Figures Codexery

Daniel J. Boorstin

Historian of consensus and the American experience

The final volume of Boorstin's trilogy, The Americans: The Democratic Experience, published in June 1973, earned the Pulitzer Prize in history in early 1974.[1][2]

Quick Facts

Office
12th Librarian of Congress
President
  • Gerald Ford
  • Jimmy Carter
  • Ronald Reagan
Took office
November 12, 1975
Left office
September 14, 1987
Predecessor
John Lorenz (acting)
Successor
James Billington
Birth name
Daniel Joseph Boorstin
Born
1 October 1914

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

He graduated from Harvard College summa cum laude in 1934 and studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.[3] Boorstin was a professor at the University of Chicago from 1944 to 1969.[4] He died of pneumonia on February 28, 2004, in Washington D.C.[5] Boorstin served as director of the National Museum of History and Technology at the Smithsonian from October 1, 1969, until 1973, when he became Senior Historian, remaining at the Smithsonian until his 1975 appointment as Librarian of Congress.[6][7]

What the cited sources add

The New Atlantis obituary notes that Boorstin was not formally trained in history and called himself an amateur.[8] The same source states that Boorstin wrote on weekends and early mornings while serving as Librarian of Congress.[8] The New Atlantis obituary reports that Boorstin opened the library's reading rooms to all and hosted public events.[8] John Y. Cole's obituary credits Boorstin with bringing new intellectual energy to the Library of Congress.[9]

Cole's obituary also states that Boorstin discovered the contents of President Lincoln's pockets in a wall safe.[10] An obituary in The New Atlantis describes Boorstin's The Image as a penetrating analysis of how new technologies and American cultural tendencies were increasingly distancing American life from reality.[8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Daniel J. Boorstin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Witham, "Popularizing the Past: Historians, Publishers, and Readers in Postwar America", University of Chicago Press, 2023, p. 55–61 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Daniel J. Boorstin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Boorstin of MHT Wins Pulitzer Prize for History", The Smithsonian Torch, May 1974, p. 1 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Daniel J. Boorstin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Greene, Wayne. "Wayne's World: An academic blog about Daniel Boorstin, but it does have one funny line in it." Tulsa World. May 27, 2014. Accessed May 29, 2016.; "Daniel J. Boorstin", Encyclopaedia Britannica; Evenson, Bruce J. "Daniel J. Boorstin," American National Biography Online. February 2000. Accessed October 2, 2016.; "DANIEL J. BOORSTIN, 89", Chicago Tribune, February 29, 2004 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Daniel J. Boorstin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Daniel J. Boorstin", Encyclopaedia Britannica (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Daniel J. Boorstin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cole, "In Memoriam Daniel J Boorstin (1914-2004)", Perspectives on History, September 1, 2004; Wilson, Linda D. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. "Boorstin, Daniel J. (1914–2004)."; Cole, John Y. "Obituaries:Daniel J. Boorstin." American Antiquarian. pp. 26 - 30. Accessed September 28, 2016.; Greene, Wayne. "Wayne's World: An academic blog about Daniel Boorstin, but it does have one funny line in it." Tulsa World. May 27, 2014. Accessed May 29, 2016. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Daniel J. Boorstin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Daniel J. Boorstin", Encyclopaedia Britannica; Witham, "Popularizing the Past: Historians, Publishers, and Readers in Postwar America", University of Chicago Press, 2023, p. 72–73; "Smithsonian Year 1969: Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution for the Year Ended 30 June 1969", Smithsonian Institution Press, 1969, p. 12; Cole, "In Memoriam Daniel J Boorstin (1914-2004)", Perspectives on History, September 1, 2004; Cole, John Y. "Obituaries:Daniel J. Boorstin." American Antiquarian. pp. 26 - 30. Accessed September 28, 2016. (ori en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Daniel J. Boorstin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Institution, "Introduction of Dr. Daniel Boorstin, MHT, October 1, 1969", Smithsonian Institution; "Boorstin of MHT Wins Pulitzer Prize for History", The Smithsonian Torch, May 1974, p. 1 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. "Daniel J. Boorstin, RIP", The New Atlantis, Spring 2004. facts only, no text reused. thenewatlantis.com
  9. Wikipedia, "Daniel J. Boorstin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cole, John Y. "Obituaries:Daniel J. Boorstin." American Antiquarian. pp. 26 - 30. Accessed September 28, 2016. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Daniel J. Boorstin" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cole, "In Memoriam Daniel J Boorstin (1914-2004)", Perspectives on History, September 1, 2004 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Daniel J. Boorstin (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

More in Scientists & Inventors

Henry Steele CommagerWill DurantSamuel Eliot MorisonJohn Lothrop MotleyFrancis ParkmanWilliam H. PrescottBarbara W. TuchmanFrederick Jackson TurnerC. Vann WoodwardHoward ZinnMarc BlochRobert Conquest

Elsewhere in Historical Figures

David Sarnoff · Explorers & BusinessAyman al-Zawahiri · Rulers & LeadersHeinrich Schliemann · Notable FiguresCarl von Clausewitz · Notable FiguresWendy Hiller · Writers & JournalistsZhang Ziyi · Writers & Journalists

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →