David Hackett Fischer | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1935-12-02)December 2, 1935 (age 90) |
| Occupation | Professor |
| Education | Princeton University (AB) Johns Hopkins University (PhD) |
| Genre | History |
| Notable works | • Washington's Crossing • Champlain's Dream • Paul Revere's Ride • Albion's Seed • Liberty and Freedom • The Great Wave |
David Hackett Fischer (born December 2, 1935) is University Professor of History Emeritus atBrandeis University. Fischer's major works have covered topics ranging from large macroeconomic and cultural trends (Albion's Seed,The Great Wave) to narrative histories of significant events (Paul Revere's Ride,Washington's Crossing) to explorations ofhistoriography (Historians' Fallacies, in which he coined the term "historian's fallacy").
Fischer was born in Baltimore in 1935 toJohn Henry Fischer and his wife, Normanée Frederick. His father, an educator, would eventually become the superintendent of Baltimore schools and, after that, dean and president ofColumbia Teachers College. He has a brother, Miles.[1] He received an A.B. fromPrinceton University in 1958 and a Ph.D. fromJohns Hopkins University in 1962.[2] He married Judith Hummel Fischer in 1960, and has two children with her.[3] He was raised Lutheran, and is of Protestant faith.[4]
Fischer has been on the faculty ofBrandeis University for 50 years, where he is known for being interested in his students and history.[5]
He is best known for two major works:Albion's Seed (1989), andWashington's Crossing (2004). InAlbion's Seed, he argues that core aspects of American culture stem from four Britishfolkways and regional cultures and that their interaction and conflict have been decisive factors in U.S. political and historical development. InWashington's Crossing, Fischer provides a narrative ofGeorge Washington's leadership of theContinental Army in the winter of 1776–1777 during theAmerican Revolutionary War. He has also been known for his study of how historians study the past and common fallacies they make, as there are no agreed upon canons of historical proof among general historians.
Fischer was admitted as an honorary member ofThe Society of the Cincinnati in 2006. He is a member of the board of theCollege of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Washington's Crossing (2004) won the 2005Pulitzer Prize for History[6] and was a 2004 finalist for theNational Book Award in the Nonfiction category.[7]
He received the 2006Irving Kristol Award from theAmerican Enterprise Institute.[8]
In 2008, he publishedChamplain's Dream, an exploration ofSamuel de Champlain, the French explorer and founder ofQuebec City. The book was a runner-up in the 2009Cundill Prize.[9]
In 2015, Fischer was named the recipient of thePritzker Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing.[2][10]
In addition to these literary awards, he has been recognized for his commitment to teaching with the 1990 Carnegie Prize as Massachusetts Professor of the Year and the Louis Dembitz Brandeis Prize for Excellence in Teaching.[2]
