Roosevelt House Director Harold Holzer Receives Empire State Archives and History Award

Harold Holzer, the Jonathan F. Fanton Director of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, received the 2017 Empire State Archives and History Award from the New York State Archives.

At the September 6th ceremony, held at The Great Hall of The Cooper Union, actor and Tony Award nominee Stephen Lang treated the attendees to an intimate conversation with Holzer about his decorated career as an educator and one of the country’s leading authorities on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era.

“Harold Holzer is the quintessential New Yorker,” said Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab.  “He is a preeminent presidential scholar who has had an extraordinary career in government, public policy and communications. No one embodies the mission of Roosevelt House—to educate students, support research, and foster creative dialogue—better than Harold Holzer.”

“As a member of the Archives Partnership Trust Board, Harold has inspired us with his enthusiasm for history, extraordinary knowledge of President Lincoln and the Civil War era, and his staunch commitment to making history accessible to all. We’re proud to recognize Harold’s successful career and his unwavering dedication to promoting our nation’s rich history with this award,” said Tom Ruller, State Archivist and Executive Officer of the Archives Partnership Trust.

Before coming to Roosevelt House, Holzer served as Senior Vice President for Public Affairs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. His latest body of work, Lincoln and the Power of the Press: The War for Public Opinion, won the Lincoln Prize. For ten years, Holzer co-chaired the U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, appointed by President Clinton, and was awarded The National Humanities Medal by President Bush in 2008.

The Empire State Archives and History Award commemorates the invaluable contributions by a national figure to propel the understanding and utilization of history in society. Previous honorees include historians Doris Kearns Goodwin, Michael Beschloss, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., James McPherson, Robert Caro, David McCullough, and Ron Chernow; documentarian Ken burns; and actors Sam Waterson and Richard Dreyfuss.