John Morton Blum
Encyclopedia
John Morton Blum was an American political historian, active from the 1950 to 1991. He lived in New Haven, Connecticut
and died at the age of 90.
in 1943, completed a PhD in 1950, and a LL.D.
in 1980. He was Jewish and served for three years in the U.S. Navy during World War II, stationed in the Southern Pacific Ocean. Blum married Pamela Zink in 1946 and had three children. He taught at MIT from 1948 to 1957 before being offered a professorship at Yale University
in 1957, from which he retired from in 1991.
. Even though Blum had admitted "I haven't the foggiest recollection of him," Blum was mentioned in the President's commencement speech at Yale's Old Campus in May 2001. Other prominent students of his include Professor Henry Louis Gates, who considered Blum to be his mentor as well as Professor Laura Kalman (University of California, Santa Barbara), Steve Gillon, resident historian of the History Channel, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry
and Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman.
Blum was considered one of the “Big Three” in Yale’s History Department along with C. Vann Woodward
and Edmund Morgan
, and became Chairman of the History Department in the late 1960s.
The John Morton Blum Fellowship in American History and Culture is awarded at Yale.
, Edmund S. Morgan, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and Kenneth M. Stampp
in 1963.
letters at Yale, for which he wrote the foreword. He also edited Henry Morgenthau, Jr.
's book Germany is Our Problem
, which detailed the Morgenthau Plan
for the post-war occupation of Germany.
film Zelig
, and he has appeared in various documentaries on PBS such as the American Experience
series, including Theodore Roosevelt in 1996 with fellow historian David McCullough
. In 1999 he appeared in "The Great War" segment of The Century: America's Time
.
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
and died at the age of 90.
Life
Blum graduated from Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1943, completed a PhD in 1950, and a LL.D.
Doctor of law
Doctor of Law or Doctor of Laws is a doctoral degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country, and includes degrees such as the LL.D., Ph.D., J.D., J.S.D., and Dr. iur.-Argentina:...
in 1980. He was Jewish and served for three years in the U.S. Navy during World War II, stationed in the Southern Pacific Ocean. Blum married Pamela Zink in 1946 and had three children. He taught at MIT from 1948 to 1957 before being offered a professorship at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1957, from which he retired from in 1991.
Professor at Yale
Blum was on the history faculty at Yale for thirty-four years and has taught and influenced thousands of students. One of his former students is President George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. Even though Blum had admitted "I haven't the foggiest recollection of him," Blum was mentioned in the President's commencement speech at Yale's Old Campus in May 2001. Other prominent students of his include Professor Henry Louis Gates, who considered Blum to be his mentor as well as Professor Laura Kalman (University of California, Santa Barbara), Steve Gillon, resident historian of the History Channel, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
and Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman.
Blum was considered one of the “Big Three” in Yale’s History Department along with C. Vann Woodward
C. Vann Woodward
Comer Vann Woodward was a preeminent American historian focusing primarily on the American South and race relations. He was considered, along with Richard Hofstadter and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., to be one of the most influential historians of the postwar era, 1940s-1970s, both by scholars and by...
and Edmund Morgan
Edmund Morgan
Edmund Sears Morgan , an eminent authority on early American history, is Emeritus Professor of History at Yale University, where he taught from 1955 to 1986.-Life:...
, and became Chairman of the History Department in the late 1960s.
The John Morton Blum Fellowship in American History and Culture is awarded at Yale.
Author
The author of several historical works, including Joseph Tumulty and the Wilson Era (1951), The Republican Roosevelt (1954), V Was for Victory (1977), and Years of Discord (1992), as well as one mystery based on Yale, An Old Blue Corpse (2005). He also wrote a memoir, A Life with History (2004). Perhaps his most widely read work was The National Experience, a high school history textbook he co-authored with William S. McFeelyWilliam S. McFeely
William S. McFeely was a professor of history before his retirement in 1997.He received his B.A. from Amherst College in 1952, and Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University in 1966. He studied there with, among others, C. Vann Woodward, whose book "The Strange Career of Jim Crow" was a staple...
, Edmund S. Morgan, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and Kenneth M. Stampp
Kenneth M. Stampp
Kenneth Milton Stampp , Alexander F. and May T. Morrison Professor of History Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley , was a celebrated historian of slavery, the American Civil War, and Reconstruction...
in 1963.
Editor
Blum was also prolific as an editor, most notably for Public Philosopher, a 600 page chronicle of the over 20,000 Walter LippmannWalter Lippmann
Walter Lippmann was an American intellectual, writer, reporter, and political commentator famous for being among the first to introduce the concept of Cold War...
letters at Yale, for which he wrote the foreword. He also edited Henry Morgenthau, Jr.
Henry Morgenthau, Jr.
Henry Morgenthau, Jr. was the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He played a major role in designing and financing the New Deal...
's book Germany is Our Problem
Germany is Our Problem
Germany is Our Problem is a book written in 1945 by Henry Morgenthau, Jr., U.S. Secretary of the Treasury during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. In the book he describes and promotes a plan - named after him - for the occupation of Germany after World War II.-Background:During 1944...
, which detailed the Morgenthau Plan
Morgenthau Plan
The Morgenthau Plan, proposed by United States Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr., advocated that the Allied occupation of Germany following World War II include measures to eliminate Germany's ability to wage war.-Overview:...
for the post-war occupation of Germany.
Film and television
Blum made a cameo appearance as himself in the 1983 Woody AllenWoody Allen
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...
film Zelig
Zelig
Zelig is a 1983 American mockumentary film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Allen and Mia Farrow. Allen plays Zelig, a curiously nondescript enigma who is discovered for his remarkable ability to transform himself to resemble anyone he's near.The film was shot almost entirely in...
, and he has appeared in various documentaries on PBS such as the American Experience
American Experience
American Experience is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service Public television stations in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American history...
series, including Theodore Roosevelt in 1996 with fellow historian David McCullough
David McCullough
David Gaub McCullough is an American author, narrator, historian, and lecturer. He is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award....
. In 1999 he appeared in "The Great War" segment of The Century: America's Time
The Century: America's Time
The Century: America's Time is a 15-part series of documentaries produced by the American Broadcasting Company on the 20th century and the rise of the United States as a superpower...
.