William S. McFeely facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William S. McFeely
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William Shield McFeely
September 25, 1930 New York City, U.S.
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| Died | December 11, 2019 (aged 89) Sleepy Hollow, New York, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Amherst College Yale University |
| Occupation | Historian |
William Shield McFeely (September 25, 1930 – December 11, 2019) was an American historian. He was famous for his 1981 book about Ulysses S. Grant, which won a Pulitzer Prize. He also helped people understand the Reconstruction era better. This was a time after the American Civil War. McFeely also helped grow the field of African-American history, which studies the past of Black people in America. He taught at the University of Georgia and was later connected with Harvard University.
Contents
Early Life and Education
William McFeely was born in New York City on September 25, 1930. His father, William C. McFeely, worked for a supermarket company. His mother, Marguerite McFeely, was a homemaker. He went to Ramsey High School in New Jersey.
After high school, he studied at Amherst College and earned a degree in 1952. For eight years, he worked at a bank in New York. Then, he decided to go back to school. He studied American studies at Yale University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1966.
Learning from History
At Yale, McFeely learned from important teachers like C. Vann Woodward. Woodward wrote a famous book called The Strange Career of Jim Crow. This book was very important during the Civil Rights Movement. Like his teacher, McFeely wanted to use history to help with civil rights. His first book, Yankee Stepfather (1968), was about the Freedmen's Bureau. This group was created to help formerly enslaved people after the Civil War.
Teaching and Research
McFeely taught at Yale until 1970. This was a time of big changes in America, with the Civil Rights and Black Power movements happening. He played a key role in starting the African-American studies program at Yale. At that time, these programs were new and sometimes caused debate. One of his students was Henry Louis Gates Jr., who later became a famous professor at Harvard.
After Yale, McFeely taught at Mount Holyoke College for 16 years. In 1986, he joined the University of Georgia.
Winning the Pulitzer Prize
In 1982, William McFeely won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. He won it for his 1981 book, Grant: A Biography. This book was about Ulysses S. Grant, who was a famous general and later a president. McFeely's book showed Grant in a critical way. He wrote that Grant "did not rise above limited talents or inspire others." This meant McFeely felt Grant's time as president was not a great success.
McFeely retired from teaching in 1997. Later, he was a fellow at Harvard's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study in 2006–2007. He studied the lives of other historical figures there. He also remained connected with Harvard's African-American Studies Department.
William McFeely passed away on December 11, 2019, at his home in Sleepy Hollow, New York. He was 89 years old.
Awards and Honors
- 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography for Grant: A Biography
- 1982 Francis Parkman Prize for Grant: A Biography
- Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (since 1987)
- 1991 Lincoln Prize for Frederick Douglass (a book about Frederick Douglass)
- 1992 Avery O. Craven Award from the Organization of American Historians
Books by William McFeely
- Yankee Stepfather: General O.O. Howard and the Freedmen (1968)
- Grant: A Biography (1981)
- Frederick Douglass (1990)
- Sapelo's People: A Long Walk into Freedom (1994)
- Proximity to Death (2000)
- Portrait: The Life of Thomas Eakins (2007)
See also
Images for kids
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