Herbert Agar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Herbert Agar
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Agar in the 1940s
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| Born | 29 September 1897 New Rochelle, New York, U.S.
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| Died | 24 November 1980 (aged 83) Sussex, U.K.
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| Alma mater | Columbia University Princeton University |
| Occupation | Historian |
Herbert Sebastian Agar (born September 29, 1897 – died November 24, 1980) was an American journalist and historian. He was also an editor for a newspaper called the Louisville Courier-Journal.
About Herbert Agar
Herbert Sebastian Agar was born in New Rochelle, New York. This was on September 29, 1897. His parents were John G. Agar and Agnes Louis Macdonough.
He went to Columbia University and finished in 1919. Later, he earned his master's degree from Princeton University in 1922. He also got his Ph.D. from Princeton in 1924. A Ph.D. is a very high university degree.
Agar's Career and Books
Agar was a very talented writer and thinker. In 1934, he won the Pulitzer Prize for History. This is a very important award for writers. He won it for his book from 1933 called The People's Choice. This book looked closely at how American presidents were chosen.
He was also connected to a group called the Southern Agrarians. With another writer, Allen Tate, he helped edit a book called Who Owns America? in 1936. Agar also believed in a special economic idea called "distributism." This idea suggests that property and wealth should be spread out more among many people.
One of Agar's books, The Price of Union (published in 1950), was a favorite of John F. Kennedy. Kennedy later became a U.S. President. He even kept a copy of this book on his desk.
A part of The Price of Union talked about a brave act by John Quincy Adams. This gave Kennedy an idea. He thought about writing an article about how senators can show courage. Kennedy showed the passage to his speechwriter, Ted Sorensen. He asked Sorensen to find more examples of brave acts by senators. They found enough stories to write a whole book. This book became the famous Profiles in Courage (1956). It also won a Pulitzer Prize.
Later Life and Passing
On June 8, 1945, Herbert Agar married Barbara Wallace. She was the daughter of a famous architect named Sir Edwin Lutyens. Barbara was also the widow of Euan Wallace, who was a British Minister of Transport.
Herbert Agar passed away on November 24, 1980. He died in Sussex, England. He had been living there since World War II.
Herbert Agar's Works
Here are some of the books Herbert Agar wrote:
- Milton and Plato (1928)
- The People's Choice: From Washington to Harding — A Study in Democracy (1933) ISBN: 978-0-9665734-0-4
- Land of the Free (1935)
- Who Owns America? A New Declaration of Independence (contributor and co-editor with Allen Tate) (1936) ISBN: 978-1-882926-37-4
- The Pursuit of Happiness: The Story of American Democracy (1938)
- A Time for Greatness (1942)
- The Price of Union: The Influence of the American Temper on the Course of History (1950)
- Abraham Lincoln (1952)
- The Unquiet Years: U.S.A. 1945–1955 (1957)
- The Price of Power: America Since 1945 (1957) ISBN: 978-0-226-00937-7
- The Saving Remnant: An Account of Jewish Survival Since 1914 (1960)
- The Perils of Democracy (1965)
- The Darkest Year: Britain Alone, June 1940 - June 1941 (1972)
