Harold Holzer
Encyclopedia
Harold Holzer is a scholar of Abraham Lincoln
and the political culture of the American Civil War Era. He served for nine years as co-chairman of the United States Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission
(ALBC), appointed to the commission by President Bill Clinton
in 2000 and elected co-chair by his fellow commissioners. In June 2010 he was elected chairman of the ALBC's successor organization, The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation. In his full-time professional career, he serves as Senior Vice President for External Affairs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where he is responsible for marketing, communications, government relations, internal communications, admissions, visitor services, and multicultural audience development at the nation's largest art institution.
In his work as a historian, Holzer has authored, co-authored, and edited 40 books, as well as more than 450 articles for magazines and journals, plus chapters and forewords for 40 additional books. He is a frequent guest on television (C-Span, PBS, A&E, The History Channel, including on "Bill Moyers Journal" and bicentennial-year documentaries on a variety of networks), lectures, and has curated five museum exhibitions, including three shows of Lincoln art at the former Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He served as chief historian for the exhibition "Lincoln and New York" at the New-York Historical Society
, October 2009-March 2010. He has performed, throughout the nation, stage programs entitled "Lincoln Seen and Heard," "The Lincoln Family Album," "Lincoln in American Memory," and "Grant Seen and Heard"—combining period pictures with authentic words—with such actors as Sam Waterston
, Liam Neeson
, Richard Dreyfuss
, Stephen Lang
, Holly Hunter
, and Dianne Wiest
. The programs have been staged at such venues as: the White House, the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library, The William J. Clinton Presidential Library, Lincoln Center in New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Library of Congress, the Lincoln Association of Los Angeles, The Lincoln Forum at Gettysburg, Ford's Theatre
, site of the Lincoln assassination, and The U.S. Capitol.
Before joining the Metropolitan Museum in 1992, Holzer was special counselor to the New York State economic development director in the administration of Governor Mario M. Cuomo
(with whom he co-edited the 1990 book, "Lincoln on Democracy," which has now been translated into four languages). Before that, he was director of communications at WNET/Channel 13, the flagship PBS station in New York, and in the 1970s, served as a political press secretary—first to Rep. Bella S. Abzug (D-NY)
in Congress and in her campaigns for the U. S. Senate and Mayor of New York; and in the 1977 general election mayoral campaign of Mr. Cuomo. Holzer started his career as a reporter, later editor, for the onetime news weekly the "Manhattan Tribune."
In 2008, Holzer received the National Humanities Medal
from President Bush and the National Endowment for the Humanities
and The Lincoln Medal of Honor from the Lincoln Society of Springfield, Illinois. He also won a second-place 2005 Lincoln Prize (for "Lincoln at Cooper Union"). For his recent book "Lincoln President-Elect," Holzer received awards from The Lincoln Group of New York, The Civil War Round Table of New York, and The Illinois State Historical Society. He has also won lifetime achievement awards from The Civil War Round Tables of New York and Chicago, and Lincoln groups in Washington and New York.
's Washington Journal and its 2009 documentary special on The White House. He has also appeared on The History Channel, PBS
, The Today Show, Bill Moyers Journal, CBS Sunday Morning, Morning Joe, The Lou Dobbs Show, and The Charlie Rose
Show. C-SPAN has broadcast Holzer's stage presentation "Lincoln Seen and Heard" with Sam Waterston
and "Grant Seen and Heard" with Richard Dreyfuss
among many others. In February 2005, President and Mrs. Bush hosted a special Lincoln's birthday-eve performance of "Lincoln Seen and Heard" with Holzer and Waterston, telecast live from the White House
. During the Lincoln bicentennial, he appeared on such documentaries as "Stealing Lincoln's Body," "The Lincoln Assassination," "Looking for Lincoln," and "Lincoln: American Mastermind."
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and the political culture of the American Civil War Era. He served for nine years as co-chairman of the United States Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission
The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission was the Congressionally created 14-member federal commission focused on planning and commemorating the 200th birthday of the United States' 16th president on February 12, 2009. The commission served for ten years, from 2000 to 2010...
(ALBC), appointed to the commission by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
in 2000 and elected co-chair by his fellow commissioners. In June 2010 he was elected chairman of the ALBC's successor organization, The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation. In his full-time professional career, he serves as Senior Vice President for External Affairs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where he is responsible for marketing, communications, government relations, internal communications, admissions, visitor services, and multicultural audience development at the nation's largest art institution.
In his work as a historian, Holzer has authored, co-authored, and edited 40 books, as well as more than 450 articles for magazines and journals, plus chapters and forewords for 40 additional books. He is a frequent guest on television (C-Span, PBS, A&E, The History Channel, including on "Bill Moyers Journal" and bicentennial-year documentaries on a variety of networks), lectures, and has curated five museum exhibitions, including three shows of Lincoln art at the former Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He served as chief historian for the exhibition "Lincoln and New York" at the New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library located in New York City at the corner of 77th Street and Central Park West in Manhattan. Founded in 1804 as New York's first museum, the New-York Historical Society presents exhibitions, public programs and research that...
, October 2009-March 2010. He has performed, throughout the nation, stage programs entitled "Lincoln Seen and Heard," "The Lincoln Family Album," "Lincoln in American Memory," and "Grant Seen and Heard"—combining period pictures with authentic words—with such actors as Sam Waterston
Sam Waterston
Samuel Atkinson "Sam" Waterston is an American actor and occasional producer and director. Among other roles, he is noted for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Sydney Schanberg in 1984's The Killing Fields, and his Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning portrayal of Jack McCoy...
, Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson
Liam John Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards.He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les...
, Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
, Stephen Lang
Stephen Lang
Stephen Lang may refer to:* Stephen Lang * Stephen Lang , a fictional character in Marvel Comics* Steven Lang...
, Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter
Holly Hunter is an American actress. Hunter starred in The Piano for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for Oscars for her roles in Broadcast News, The Firm, and Thirteen...
, and Dianne Wiest
Dianne Wiest
Dianne Wiest is an American actress. She has had a successful career on stage, television, and film, and has won two Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Wiest has also been nominated for a BAFTA Award.-Early life:...
. The programs have been staged at such venues as: the White House, the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library, The William J. Clinton Presidential Library, Lincoln Center in New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Library of Congress, the Lincoln Association of Los Angeles, The Lincoln Forum at Gettysburg, Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre is a historic theater in Washington, D.C., used for various stage performances beginning in the 1860s. It is also the site of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865...
, site of the Lincoln assassination, and The U.S. Capitol.
Before joining the Metropolitan Museum in 1992, Holzer was special counselor to the New York State economic development director in the administration of Governor Mario M. Cuomo
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...
(with whom he co-edited the 1990 book, "Lincoln on Democracy," which has now been translated into four languages). Before that, he was director of communications at WNET/Channel 13, the flagship PBS station in New York, and in the 1970s, served as a political press secretary—first to Rep. Bella S. Abzug (D-NY)
Bella Abzug
Bella Savitsky Abzug was an American lawyer, Congresswoman, social activist and a leader of the Women's Movement. In 1971, Abzug joined other leading feminists such as Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan to found the National Women's Political Caucus...
in Congress and in her campaigns for the U. S. Senate and Mayor of New York; and in the 1977 general election mayoral campaign of Mr. Cuomo. Holzer started his career as a reporter, later editor, for the onetime news weekly the "Manhattan Tribune."
In 2008, Holzer received the National Humanities Medal
National Humanities Medal
The National Humanities Medal honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities, broadened citizens’ engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to important resources in the humanities.The award, given by the...
from President Bush and the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
and The Lincoln Medal of Honor from the Lincoln Society of Springfield, Illinois. He also won a second-place 2005 Lincoln Prize (for "Lincoln at Cooper Union"). For his recent book "Lincoln President-Elect," Holzer received awards from The Lincoln Group of New York, The Civil War Round Table of New York, and The Illinois State Historical Society. He has also won lifetime achievement awards from The Civil War Round Tables of New York and Chicago, and Lincoln groups in Washington and New York.
Works
- 1984- The Lincoln Image: Abraham Lincoln and the Popular Print with Mark E. Neely, Jr.Mark E. Neely, Jr.Mark E. Neely, Jr., is a Pulitzer Prize winning historian best known as an authority on the U.S. Civil War in general and Abraham Lincoln in particular.-Biography:...
and Gabor S. Boritt - 1985- Changing the Lincoln Image with Neely and Boritt
- 1987- The Confederate Image: Prints of the Lost Cause with Neely and Boritt
- 1990- Lincoln on Democracy, coedited with Mario M. CuomoMario CuomoMario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...
) - 1990- The Lincoln Family Album with Neely
- 1993- Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: The Civil War in Art with Neely
- 1993- The Lincoln-Douglas Debates: The First Complete, Unexpurgated Text
- 1993- Washington and Lincoln Portrayed: National Icons in Popular Prints
- 1993- Dear Mr. Lincoln: Letters to the President
- 1996- Witness to War
- 1996- The Civil War Era
- 1998- The Lincoln Mailbag: America Writes to the President
- 1999- The Union Preserved with Daniel Lorello
- 1999- The Lincoln Forum: Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg, and the Civil War (co-edited with John Y. Simon and William Pederson)
- 1999- Lincoln as I Knew Him: Gossip, Tributes, and Revelations from His Best Friends and Worst Enemies
- 2000- The Union Image: Prints of the Civil War North with Neely
- 2000- Lincoln Seen and Heard
- 2000- Abraham Lincoln, The Writer (named to the Children's Literature Choice List, and the Bank Street "Best Children's Books of the Year")
- 2001- Prang's Civil War: The Complete Battle Chromos of Louis Prang
- 2002- State of the Union: New York and the Civil War
- 2002- The Lincoln Forum: Rediscovering Abraham Lincoln (co-edited with John Y. Simon)
- 2004- The President is Shot! The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
- 2004- Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech That Made Abraham Lincoln President
- 2005- Lincoln in the Times: The Life of Abraham Lincoln as Originally Reported in the New York Times (co-edited with David Herbert DonaldDavid Herbert Donald- Career :Majoring in history and sociology, Donald earned his bachelor degree from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. He earned his PhD in 1946 under the eminent, leading Lincoln scholar, James G. Randall at the University of Illinois...
, St. Martin's Press) - 2006- The Battle of Hampton Roads (co-edited with Tim Mulligan)
- 2006- The Emancipation Proclamation: Three Views, with Edna Greene Medford and Frank J. WilliamsFrank J. WilliamsFrank J. Williams is a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island, a notable Abraham Lincoln scholar and author, and a Justice on the Military Commission Review Panel.-Biography:...
- 2006- Lincoln Portrayed: In the Collections of the Indiana Historical Society
- 2007- Lincoln Revisited (co-edited with Simon and Dawn Vogel)
- 2007- Lincoln and Freedom (co-edited with Sarah Vaughn Gabbard)
- 2007- Lincoln's White House Secretary: The Adventurous Life of William O. Stoddard
- 2008- Lincoln President-Elect: Abraham Lincoln and the Great Secession Winter, 1860-1861
- 2008- Six Months at the White House with Abraham Lincoln, Introduction
- 2009- The Lincoln Anthology: Great Writers on His Life and Legacy from 1860 to Now
- 2009- In Lincoln's Hand: His Original Manuscripts with Commentary by Distinguished Americans.
- 2009- The Lincoln Assassination Conspirators: Their Confinement and Execution, as Recorded in the Letterbook of John Frederick Hartranft (co-edited with Edward Steers, Jr.Edward Steers, Jr.Edward Steers, Jr. is an American historian specializing in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Steers worked as a research scientist at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland for thirty-two years until he retired in 1994 and started a new career as a writer...
) - 2009- Lincoln and New York
- 2010- The Lincoln Assassination: Crime & Punishment, Myth & Memory (co-edited with Craig L. Symonds and Frank J. WilliamsFrank J. WilliamsFrank J. Williams is a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island, a notable Abraham Lincoln scholar and author, and a Justice on the Military Commission Review Panel.-Biography:...
) - 2010- The New York Times Civil War (co-edited with Craig L. Symonds with an introduction by President Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
- 2011- Father Abraham: Lincoln and His Sons
- 2011- Lincoln on War
- 2011- Hearts Touched by Fire: The Best of Battles and Leaders of The Civil War
Honors
- 1984, 1990, 1993, 2005, 2009- Barondess Award of the Civil War Round Table of New York
- 1988- Diploma of Honor from Lincoln Memorial UniversityLincoln Memorial UniversityLincoln Memorial University is a private four-year co-educational liberal arts college located in Harrogate, Tennessee.LMU's campus borders on Cumberland Gap National Historical Park....
- 1988, 1993, 2004, 2009- Award of Achievement from the Lincoln Group of New York
- 1988- George Washington Medal from the Freedom Foundation
- 1989- Writer of Distinction Award from the International Reading AssociationInternational Reading AssociationThe International Reading Association is an international professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialogue about research on reading, and encourage the habit of reading....
- 1992- Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Lincoln CollegeLincoln CollegeLincoln College may refer to:in Australia:* Lincoln College , a residential College of the University of Adelaidein New Zealand:* Lincoln University, New Zealand, formerly called Lincoln College...
- 1993- Award of Superior Achievement from the Illinois State Historical Society
- 1996- Manuscript Society of America award for Dear Mr. Lincoln
- 2000- Newman Book Award of the American Historical Print Collectors Society for The Union Image
- 2002- Nevins-Freeman Award of The Civil War Round Table of Chicago
- 2006- Honorary degrees by Illinois CollegeIllinois CollegeIllinois College is a private, liberal arts college, affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church , and located in Jacksonville, Illinois. It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree . It was founded in 1829 by the Illinois Band,...
and University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth - 2006- The Lincoln Group of The District of Columbia's annual award of achievement
- 2008- The Bell I. Wiley Prize for Lifetime Achievement from the Civil War Round Table of NY
- 2008- The National Humanities Medal from President George W. Bush
- 2009- Honorary Degree (Doctor of Humane Letters) from Bard CollegeBard CollegeBard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...
- 2009- President's Medal from Queens College, CUNY
- 2010- Lincoln Medal of Honor, Lincoln Society, Springfield, Illinois
- 2010- Awards for Lincoln and New York exhibition from The Civil War Round Table of New York, The Lincoln Group of New York, and The Victorian Society.
- 2010- Barondess Award, The Civil War Round Tabel of New York, for Lincoln President-Elect
Appearances
A frequent guest on television, Holzer has appeared on C-SPANC-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
's Washington Journal and its 2009 documentary special on The White House. He has also appeared on The History Channel, PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, The Today Show, Bill Moyers Journal, CBS Sunday Morning, Morning Joe, The Lou Dobbs Show, and The Charlie Rose
Charlie Rose
Charles Peete "Charlie" Rose, Jr. is an American television talk show host and journalist. Since 1991 he has hosted Charlie Rose, an interview show distributed nationally by PBS since 1993...
Show. C-SPAN has broadcast Holzer's stage presentation "Lincoln Seen and Heard" with Sam Waterston
Sam Waterston
Samuel Atkinson "Sam" Waterston is an American actor and occasional producer and director. Among other roles, he is noted for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Sydney Schanberg in 1984's The Killing Fields, and his Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning portrayal of Jack McCoy...
and "Grant Seen and Heard" with Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
among many others. In February 2005, President and Mrs. Bush hosted a special Lincoln's birthday-eve performance of "Lincoln Seen and Heard" with Holzer and Waterston, telecast live from the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. During the Lincoln bicentennial, he appeared on such documentaries as "Stealing Lincoln's Body," "The Lincoln Assassination," "Looking for Lincoln," and "Lincoln: American Mastermind."