William Strauss
Encyclopedia
William Strauss was an American author, historian, playwright, theater director, and lecturer. As a historian, he is known for his work with Neil Howe on social generations and for their theory
of generational cycles in American history. He is also well known as the co-founder and director of the satirical musical theater group the Capitol Steps
, and as the co-founder of the Cappies, a critics and awards program for high school theater students.
. In 1963, during his junior year of high school, he was a Supreme Court Page, and he graduated from Harvard University
in 1969. In 1973, he received a JD from Harvard Law School
and a master’s in public policy from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government
, where he was a member of the program’s first graduating class.
After receiving his degrees, Strauss worked in Washington, DC as a policy aid to the Presidential Clemency Board, directing a research team writing a report on the impact of the Vietnam War on the generation that was drafted. In 1978, Strauss and Lawrence Baskir co-authored two books on the Vietnam War
, Chance and Circumstance, and Reconciliation after Vietnam. Strauss later worked at the U.S. Department of Energy and as a committee staffer for Senator Charles Percy
, and in 1980 he became chief counsel and staff director of the Subcommittee on Energy, Nuclear Proliferation, and Government Processes.
In 1981, Strauss organized a group of senate staffers to perform satirical songs at the annual office Christmas party of his employer, Senator Percy. The group was so successful that Strauss went on to co-found a professional satirical troupe, the Capitol Steps, with Elaina Newport. The Capitol Steps is now a $3 million company with more than 40 employees who perform at venues across the country. As director, Strauss wrote many of the songs, performed regularly off Broadway, and recorded 27 albums.
During the 1990s, Strauss developed another career as a historian and sociologist, examining how generational differences shape attitudes, behaviors, and the course of history. He wrote seven books on social generations with Neil Howe
, beginning with Generations
in 1991. In 1997,Strauss and Howe founded LifeCourse Associates, a publishing, speaking, and consulting company built on their generational theory
. As a partner at LifeCourse, Strauss worked as a corporate, nonprofit, education, and government affairs consultant.
In 1999, Strauss received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer
. This prompted him to found the Cappies, a program to inspire the next generation of theater performers and writers. Now an international program including hundreds of high schools, Cappies allows students to attend and review each others’ plays and musicals, publish reviews in major newspapers, and hold Tonys-style Cappies award Galas, in which Strauss acted as MC for the Fairfax County program. Strauss also founded Cappies International Theater, a summer program in which top Cappies winners perform plays and musicals written by teenagers. In 2006 and 2007, Strauss advised creative teams of students who wrote two new musicals, Edit:Undo and Senioritis
. Senioritis was made into a movie that was released in 2007.
In December 2007, Strauss died of pancreatic cancer in his home in McLean, VA. His wife of 34 years, Janie Strauss, lives in McLean and is a member of the Fairfax County School Board
. They have four grown children.
In 1978, he and Laurence Baskier co-authored Chance and Circumstance, a book about the Vietnam-era draft. Their second book, Reconciliation After Vietnam (1978) was said to have influenced then-president Jimmy Carter
to issue a blanket pardon to Vietnam draft resisters.
Strauss is well known for his books with Neil Howe. These include Generations
(1991) and The Fourth Turning (1997), which examine historical generations and identify a cycle of recurring mood eras in American History (now known as the Strauss-Howe generational theory
). Howe and Strauss also co-authored 13th Gen (1993) about the life story of Generation X
, and Millennials Rising (2000) about the Millennial Generation.
Strauss also wrote a number of application books with Howe about the Millennials’ impact on various sectors, including Millennials Go to College (2003, 2007), Millennials in the Pop Culture (2005), and Millennials in K-12 Schools (2008).
Strauss wrote three musicals, MaKiddo, Free-the-Music.com, and Anasazi, and two plays, Gray Champions and The Big Bump, about various themes in the books he has co-authored with Howe. He also co-wrote two books of political satire with Elaina Newport, Fools on the Hill (1992) and Sixteen Scandals (2002).
Strauss-Howe generational theory
The Strauss-Howe generational theory, created by historians William Strauss and Neil Howe, identifies a recurring generational cycle in American history. Strauss and Howe lay the groundwork for the theory in their 1991 book Generations, which retells the history of America as a series of...
of generational cycles in American history. He is also well known as the co-founder and director of the satirical musical theater group the Capitol Steps
Capitol Steps
The Capitol Steps are an American political satire group. It has been performing since 1981, and has released approximately thirty albums consisting primarily of song parodies. Originally consisting exclusively of Congressional staffers performing around Washington, D.C., the troupe now primarily...
, and as the co-founder of the Cappies, a critics and awards program for high school theater students.
Biography
Strauss was born in Chicago and grew up in Burlingame, CaliforniaBurlingame, California
Burlingame is a city in San Mateo County, California. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula and has a significant shoreline on San Francisco Bay. The city is named after diplomat Anson Burlingame. It is renowned for its many surviving examples of Victorian architecture, its affluence, and...
. In 1963, during his junior year of high school, he was a Supreme Court Page, and he graduated from Harvard University
Harvard 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 1969. In 1973, he received a JD from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
and a master’s in public policy from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
, where he was a member of the program’s first graduating class.
After receiving his degrees, Strauss worked in Washington, DC as a policy aid to the Presidential Clemency Board, directing a research team writing a report on the impact of the Vietnam War on the generation that was drafted. In 1978, Strauss and Lawrence Baskir co-authored two books on the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, Chance and Circumstance, and Reconciliation after Vietnam. Strauss later worked at the U.S. Department of Energy and as a committee staffer for Senator Charles Percy
Charles H. Percy
Charles Harting "Chuck" Percy was president of the Bell & Howell Corporation from 1949 to 1964. He was elected United States Senator from Illinois in 1966, re-elected through his term ending in 1985; he concentrated on business and foreign relations...
, and in 1980 he became chief counsel and staff director of the Subcommittee on Energy, Nuclear Proliferation, and Government Processes.
In 1981, Strauss organized a group of senate staffers to perform satirical songs at the annual office Christmas party of his employer, Senator Percy. The group was so successful that Strauss went on to co-found a professional satirical troupe, the Capitol Steps, with Elaina Newport. The Capitol Steps is now a $3 million company with more than 40 employees who perform at venues across the country. As director, Strauss wrote many of the songs, performed regularly off Broadway, and recorded 27 albums.
During the 1990s, Strauss developed another career as a historian and sociologist, examining how generational differences shape attitudes, behaviors, and the course of history. He wrote seven books on social generations with Neil Howe
Neil Howe
Neil Howe is an American historian, economist, and demographer. He is best known for his work with William Strauss on social generations and generational cycles in American history. He is currently the president of LifeCourse Associates, a consulting company he founded with Strauss to apply...
, beginning with Generations
Generations (book)
Generations is the first book by William Strauss and Neil Howe that describes a cyclical theory of history based on repeating generational archetypes. It examines Anglo-American history by dividing it into saecula, or seasonal cycles of history...
in 1991. In 1997,Strauss and Howe founded LifeCourse Associates, a publishing, speaking, and consulting company built on their generational theory
Strauss-Howe generational theory
The Strauss-Howe generational theory, created by historians William Strauss and Neil Howe, identifies a recurring generational cycle in American history. Strauss and Howe lay the groundwork for the theory in their 1991 book Generations, which retells the history of America as a series of...
. As a partner at LifeCourse, Strauss worked as a corporate, nonprofit, education, and government affairs consultant.
In 1999, Strauss received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
. This prompted him to found the Cappies, a program to inspire the next generation of theater performers and writers. Now an international program including hundreds of high schools, Cappies allows students to attend and review each others’ plays and musicals, publish reviews in major newspapers, and hold Tonys-style Cappies award Galas, in which Strauss acted as MC for the Fairfax County program. Strauss also founded Cappies International Theater, a summer program in which top Cappies winners perform plays and musicals written by teenagers. In 2006 and 2007, Strauss advised creative teams of students who wrote two new musicals, Edit:Undo and Senioritis
Senioritis (musical)
Senioritis is a high school musical comedy about the stresses of senior year and is a satire on teachers, parents, college admissions, celebrities, and the money culture...
. Senioritis was made into a movie that was released in 2007.
In December 2007, Strauss died of pancreatic cancer in his home in McLean, VA. His wife of 34 years, Janie Strauss, lives in McLean and is a member of the Fairfax County School Board
Fairfax County Public Schools
The Fairfax County Public Schools system is a branch of the Fairfax County government which administers public schools in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax...
. They have four grown children.
Work
Strauss has written a number of scholarly and popular books about American history and generations, as well as a number of plays and musicals.In 1978, he and Laurence Baskier co-authored Chance and Circumstance, a book about the Vietnam-era draft. Their second book, Reconciliation After Vietnam (1978) was said to have influenced then-president Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
to issue a blanket pardon to Vietnam draft resisters.
Strauss is well known for his books with Neil Howe. These include Generations
Generations (book)
Generations is the first book by William Strauss and Neil Howe that describes a cyclical theory of history based on repeating generational archetypes. It examines Anglo-American history by dividing it into saecula, or seasonal cycles of history...
(1991) and The Fourth Turning (1997), which examine historical generations and identify a cycle of recurring mood eras in American History (now known as the Strauss-Howe generational theory
Strauss-Howe generational theory
The Strauss-Howe generational theory, created by historians William Strauss and Neil Howe, identifies a recurring generational cycle in American history. Strauss and Howe lay the groundwork for the theory in their 1991 book Generations, which retells the history of America as a series of...
). Howe and Strauss also co-authored 13th Gen (1993) about the life story of Generation X
Generation X
Generation X, commonly abbreviated to Gen X, is the generation born after the Western post–World War II baby boom ended. While there is no universally agreed upon time frame, the term generally includes people born from the early 1960's through the early 1980's, usually no later than 1981 or...
, and Millennials Rising (2000) about the Millennial Generation.
Strauss also wrote a number of application books with Howe about the Millennials’ impact on various sectors, including Millennials Go to College (2003, 2007), Millennials in the Pop Culture (2005), and Millennials in K-12 Schools (2008).
Strauss wrote three musicals, MaKiddo, Free-the-Music.com, and Anasazi, and two plays, Gray Champions and The Big Bump, about various themes in the books he has co-authored with Howe. He also co-wrote two books of political satire with Elaina Newport, Fools on the Hill (1992) and Sixteen Scandals (2002).
Books
- Chance and Circumstance (1978)
- Reconciliation After Vietnam (1987)
- Generations (1991)
- Fools on the Hill (1992)
- 13th-GEN (1993)
- The Fourth Turning (1997)
- Millennials Rising (2000)
- Sixteen Scandals (2002)
- Millennials Go To College (2003, 2007)
- Millennials and the Pop Culture (2006)
- Millennials and K-12 Schools (2008)
Plays and Musicals
- MaKiddo (2000)
- Free-the-Music.com (2001)
- The Big Bump (2001)
- Anasazi (2004)
- Gray Champions (2005)
See also
- Strauss-Howe generational theoryStrauss-Howe generational theoryThe Strauss-Howe generational theory, created by historians William Strauss and Neil Howe, identifies a recurring generational cycle in American history. Strauss and Howe lay the groundwork for the theory in their 1991 book Generations, which retells the history of America as a series of...
- Neil HoweNeil HoweNeil Howe is an American historian, economist, and demographer. He is best known for his work with William Strauss on social generations and generational cycles in American history. He is currently the president of LifeCourse Associates, a consulting company he founded with Strauss to apply...
- Strauss and Howe
- Generations (book)Generations (book)Generations is the first book by William Strauss and Neil Howe that describes a cyclical theory of history based on repeating generational archetypes. It examines Anglo-American history by dividing it into saecula, or seasonal cycles of history...
External links
- http://www.williamstrauss.com/
- http://www.capsteps.com/
- http://www.lifecourse.com/
- http://www.cappies.com/
- http://www.makiddo.com/index.html
- http://www.free-the-music.com/