Julian E. Zelizer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Julian Zelizer
Born	1969 (age 55–56)
Education	Brandeis University (BA) Johns Hopkins University (MA, PhD)
Spouse(s)	Nora Moran ​ ​ (m. 1996, divorced)​ Meg Jacobs ​ (m. 2012)​
Relatives	Viviana Zelizer (mother)

Julian Emanuel Zelizer, born in 1969, is a well-known American professor and author. He teaches about political history at Princeton University. Professor Zelizer writes many books about American politics, especially focusing on the time from the mid-1900s to today.

Julian Zelizer's Early Life and Education

Julian Zelizer grew up in Metuchen, New Jersey. He went to Metuchen High School. After high school, he studied at Brandeis University. He later earned a PhD in History from Johns Hopkins University. A PhD is a very high degree you can get from a university.

Julian Zelizer's Career in History

Professor Zelizer shares his knowledge in many ways. He writes articles for websites like CNN.com and The Atlantic. He often appears on news programs to talk about history. He has also been in several documentary films. He holds a special position at Princeton University as the Malcolm Stevenson Forbes Professor of History and Public Policy.

Professor Zelizer has won the D. B. Hardeman Prize twice. He won it for his books Taxing America: Wilbur D. Mills, Congress, and the State, 1945–1975 and The Fierce Urgency of Now: Lyndon Johnson, Congress, and the Battle for the Great Society.

His book, Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974, which he wrote with Kevin M. Kruse, was highly praised. Another book, Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party, was called "insightful" by The New York Times. The Washington Post described it as "engaging" and "timely."

In 2025, Professor Zelizer started an online publication called The Long View. This publication helps people understand current events by looking at them through a historical lens.

Julian Zelizer's Family Life

Julian Zelizer's mother is Viviana Zelizer, a professor of sociology at Princeton. His father, Gerald L. Zelizer, was a respected rabbi in Metuchen. In 1996, Julian Zelizer married Nora Kay Moran. Later, in 2012, he married fellow historian Meg Jacobs. Both weddings were led by his father.

Books by Julian Zelizer

Professor Zelizer has written or edited many books about American history and politics. Here are some of his works:

• Taxing America: Wilbur D. Mills, Congress, and the State, 1945–1975 (1999)
• The American Congress: The Building of Democracy (2004)
• On Capitol Hill: The Struggle to Reform Congress and its Consequences, 1948–2000 (2004)
• Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security – From World War II to the War on Terrorism (2009)
• Jimmy Carter: The American Presidents Series: The 39th President, 1977–1981 (2010)
• Conservatives in Power: The Reagan Years, 1981–1989: A Brief History with Documents (2011), with Meg Jacobs
• Governing America: The Revival of Political History (2012)
• The Fierce Urgency of Now: Lyndon Johnson, Congress, and the Battle for the Great Society (2015)
• Media Nation: The Political History of News in Modern America (2017), editor, with Bruce J. Schulman
• The Presidency of Barack Obama: A First Historical Assessment (2018), editor
• Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974 (2019), with Kevin M. Kruse
• Burning Down the House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party (2020)
• Abraham Joshua Heschel: A Life of Radical Amazement (2021)
• Defining the Age: Daniel Bell, His Time and Ours (2022), editor
• The Presidency of Donald J. Trump: A First Historical Assessment (2022), editor
• Myth America: Historians Take On the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past (2023), editor
• In Defense of Partisanship (2025)

He has also edited or co-edited other books, including Our Nation at Risk: Election Integrity as a National Security Issue.