David McCullough

American historian and author (1933–2022)

For the journalist, see David McCullagh. For the illustrator and writer on design, see David Macaulay.

David McCullough

McCullough in 2005

Born| David Gaub McCullough
(1933-07-07)July 7, 1933
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died| August 7, 2022(2022-08-07) (aged 89)
Hingham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation|

* Historian
* narrator

Alma mater| Yale University (BA)
Period| 1968–2019
Subject| American history
Notable awards|

* Presidential Medal of Freedom (2006)
* Pulitzer Prize (1993, 2002)[1]
* National Book Award (1982)

Spouse|

Rosalee Barnes

(m. 1954; died 2022)​

Children| 5

David Gaub McCullough (/məˈkʌlə/; July 7, 1933 – August 7, 2022) was an American popular historian. He was a two-time winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award.[2][3][4]

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, McCullough earned a degree in English literature from Yale University. His first book was The Johnstown Flood (1968), and he wrote nine more on such topics as Harry S. Truman, John Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Panama Canal, and the Wright brothers. McCullough also narrated numerous documentaries, such as The Civil War by Ken Burns, as well as the 2003 film Seabiscuit, and he hosted the PBS television documentary series American Experience for twelve years.[4] McCullough's two Pulitzer Prize–winning books—Truman and John Adams.—were adapted by HBO into a TV film and a miniseries, respectively.[4]

## Early life and education

[edit]

McCullough was born in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,[5] to Ruth (née Rankin; 1899–1985) and Christian Hax McCullough (1899–1989).[6] He was of Scots-Irish, German, and English descent.[7][8] He was educated at Linden Avenue Grade School and Shady Side Academy,[4] in his hometown of Pittsburgh.[3]

One of four sons, McCullough had a "marvelous" childhood with a wide range of interests, including sports and drawing cartoons.[9] McCullough's parents and his grandmother, who read to him often, introduced him to books at an early age.[7] His parents often talked about history, a topic he said should be discussed more often.[7] McCullough "loved school, every day";[9] he contemplated many career choices, ranging from architect, actor, painter, writer, to lawyer, and considered attending medical school for a time.[9]

In 1951, McCullough began attending Yale University.[10] He said that it was a "privilege" to study English at Yale because of faculty members such as John O'Hara, John Hersey, Robert Penn Warren, and Brendan Gill.[11][4] McCullough occasionally ate lunch with the Pulitzer Prize–winning[12] novelist and playwright Thornton Wilder.[11] Wilder, said McCullough, taught him that a competent writer maintains "an air of freedom" in the storyline, so that a reader will not anticipate the outcome, even if the book is non-fiction.[13][4]

While at Yale, he became a member of Skull and Bones.[14] He served apprenticeships at Time, Life, the United States Information Agency, and American Heritage,[11] where he enjoyed research. He said: "Once I discovered the endless fascination of doing the research and of doing the writing, I knew I had found what I wanted to do in my life."[11] While attending Yale, McCullough studied Arts and earned his bachelor's degree in English, with the intention of becoming a fiction writer or playwright.[7] He graduated with honors in English literature in 1955.[15][16]

## Writing career

[edit]

### Early career

[edit]

After graduation, McCullough moved to New York City, where Sports Illustrated hired him as a trainee in 1956.[9] He later worked as an editor and writer for the United States Information Agency in Washington, D.C.[5] After working for twelve years in editing and writing, including a position at American Heritage, McCullough "felt that [he] had reached the point where [he] could attempt something on [his] own."[9][4]

McCullough "had no anticipation that [he] was going to write history, but [he] stumbled upon a story that [he] thought was powerful, exciting, and very worth telling."[9] While working at American Heritage, McCullough wrote in his spare time for three years.[9][17] The Johnstown Flood, a chronicle of one of the worst flood disasters in United States history, was published in 1968[9] to high praise by critics.[18] John Leonard, of The New York Times, said of McCullough, "We have no better social historian."[18] Despite rough financial times,[10] he decided to become a full-time writer, encouraged by his wife Rosalee.[9]

> People often ask me if I'm working on a book. That's not how I feel. I feel like I work in a book. It's like putting myself under a spell. And this spell, if you will, is so real to me that if I have to leave my work for a few days, I have to work myself back into the spell when I come back. It's almost like hypnosis.[19]

McCullough interviews President Ronald Reagan in 1981

### Gaining recognition

[edit]

After the success of The Johnstown Flood, two new publishers offered him contracts, one to write about the Great Chicago Fire and another about the San Francisco earthquake.[20] Simon & Schuster, publisher of his first book, also offered McCullough a contract to write a second book.[10] Trying not to become "Bad News McCullough",[20] he decided to write about a subject showing "people were not always foolish and inept or irresponsible."[20] He remembered the words of his Yale teacher: "[Thornton] Wilder said he got the idea for a book or a play when he wanted to learn about something. Then, he'd check to see if anybody had already done it, and if they hadn't, he'd do it."[10] McCullough decided to write a history of the Brooklyn Bridge, which he had walked across many times.[10] It was published in 1972.[4]

He also proposed, from a suggestion by his editor,[7] a work about the Panama Canal; both were accepted by the publisher.[10] Five years later, The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870–1914 was released, gaining McCullough widespread recognition.[10] The book won the National Book Award in History,[21] the Samuel Eliot Morison Award,[22] the Francis Parkman Prize,[23] and the Cornelius Ryan Award.[24] Later in 1977, McCullough travelled to the White House to advise Jimmy Carter and the United States Senate on the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which would give Panama control of the Canal.[22] Carter later said that the treaties, which were negotiated to transfer ownership of the Canal to Panama, would not have passed had it not been for the book.[22][4]

### "The story of people"

[edit]

McCullough's fourth work was his first biography, reinforcing his belief that "history is the story of people".[25] Released in 1981, Mornings on Horseback tells the story of seventeen years in the life of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States.[26] The work ranged from Roosevelt's childhood to 1886, and tells of a "life intensely lived."[26] The book won McCullough's second National Book Award[27][a] and his first Los Angeles Times Prize for Biography and New York Public Library Literary Lion Award.[28] Next, he published Brave Companions, a collection of essays that "unfold seamlessly".[29] Written over twenty years, the book[30] includes essays about Louis Agassiz, Alexander von Humboldt, John and Washington Roebling, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Conrad Richter, and Frederic Remington.[30]

With his next book, McCullough published his second biography, Truman (1992) about the 33rd president. The book won McCullough his first Pulitzer Prize, in the category of "Best Biography or Autobiography",[1] and his second Francis Parkman Prize. Two years later, the book was adapted as Truman (1995), a television film by HBO, starring Gary Sinise as Truman.[10][4]

> I think it's important to remember that these men are not perfect. If they were marble gods, what they did wouldn't be so admirable. The more we see the founders as humans the more we can understand them.

> – David McCullough[31]

Working for the next seven years,[32] McCullough published John Adams (2001), his third biography about a United States president. One of the fastest-selling non-fiction books in history,[10] the book won McCullough's second Pulitzer Prize for "Best Biography or Autobiography" in 2002.[1] He started it as a book about the founding fathers and back-to-back presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson; but dropped Jefferson to focus on Adams.[31] HBO adapted John Adams as a seven-part miniseries by the same name.[33] Premiering in 2008, it starred Paul Giamatti in the title role.[33] The DVD version of the miniseries includes the biographical documentary, David McCullough: Painting with Words.[34]

McCullough's 1776 tells the story of the founding year of the United States, focusing on George Washington, the amateur Continental Army, and other struggles for independence.[32] Because of McCullough's popularity, its initial printing was 1.25 million copies, many more than the average history book.[3] Upon its release, the book was a number one best-seller in the United States.[32] A miniseries adaptation of 1776 was rumored.[35]

McCullough considered writing a sequel to 1776.[32] However, he signed a contract with Simon & Schuster to do a work about Americans in Paris between 1830 and 1900, The Greater Journey, which was published in 2011.[36][37] The book covers 19th-century Americans, including Mark Twain and Samuel Morse, who migrated to Paris and went on to achieve importance in culture or innovation. Other subjects include Benjamin Silliman, who had been Morse's science teacher at Yale, Elihu Washburne, the U.S. Ambassador to France during the Franco-Prussian War, and Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female doctor in the United States.[38]

McCullough's The Wright Brothers was published in 2015.[39] The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West followed in 2019, the story of the first European American settlers of the Northwest Territory, a vast American wilderness to which the Ohio River was the gateway.[40]

## Personal life

[edit]

McCullough speaking at Vassar College in 2008

In 1954, McCullough married Rosalee Barnes; the couple had first met as teenagers, and they remained together until her death on June 9, 2022.[41] They had five children, nineteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.[42] In 2016, the couple moved from the Back Bay of Boston to Hingham, Massachusetts; three of his five children also lived there as of 2017[update].[43][44] He had a summer home in Camden, Maine.[45][46] McCullough's interests included sports, history, and visual art, including watercolor and portrait painting.[47]

His son, David Jr., an English teacher at Wellesley High School in the Boston suburbs, achieved sudden fame in 2012, when he gave a commencement speech in which he repeatedly told graduating students that they were "not special"; his speech went viral on YouTube.[48][49] Another son, Bill, is married to the daughter of former Florida governor Bob Graham.[50]

A registered independent, McCullough typically avoided publicly commenting on contemporary political issues. When asked to do so, he would repeatedly say, "My specialty is dead politicians." During the 2016 presidential election season, he broke with his custom to criticize Donald Trump, whom he called "a monstrous clown with a monstrous ego."[51][4]

McCullough taught a writing course at Wesleyan University and was a visiting scholar at Cornell University and Dartmouth College.[52]

McCullough speaking with Marie Arana on the National Book Festival Main Stage in 2019

After a period of failing health, McCullough died at his home in Hingham on August 7, 2022, just two months after his wife's death, at age 89.[53]

## Awards and accolades

[edit]

McCullough is presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2006

McCullough received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in December 2006, the highest civilian award that a United States citizen can receive.[3] In 1995, the National Book Foundation conferred its lifetime Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.[54]

McCullough was awarded more than 40 honorary degrees, including one from the Eastern Nazarene College in John Adams' hometown of Quincy, Massachusetts.[55]

McCullough received two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Awards, two Francis Parkman Prizes, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, New York Public Library's Literary Lion Award, and the St. Louis Literary Award from the Saint Louis University Library Associates,[56][57] among others.[17][58] McCullough was chosen to deliver the first annual John Hersey Lecture at Yale University on March 22, 1993.[59] He was a member of the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship[60] and the Academy of Achievement.[61] In 2003, the National Endowment for the Humanities selected McCullough for the Jefferson Lecture, the U.S. federal government's highest honor for achievement in the humanities.[62] McCullough's lecture was titled "The Course of Human Events".[63]

In 1995, McCullough received the Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award. The Helmerich Award is presented annually by the Tulsa Library Trust.[64]

McCullough was referred to as a "master of the art of narrative history."[65] The New York Times critic John Leonard wrote that McCullough was "incapable of writing a page of bad prose."[25] His works have been published in ten languages, over nine million copies have been printed,[7] and all of his books are still in print.[2]

In December 2012, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania announced that it would rename the 16th Street Bridge in Pittsburgh in honor of McCullough.[66]

In a ceremony at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, on November 16, 2015, the Air University of the United States Air Force awarded McCullough an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree.[67] He was also made an honorary member of Phi Beta Kappa at Yale University in 2015.[68]

On May 11, 2016, McCullough received the United States Capitol Historical Society's Freedom Award. It was presented in the National Statuary Hall.[69]

In September 2016, McCullough received the Gerry Lenfest Spirit of the American Revolution Award from the Museum of the American Revolution.[70]

In 2017, McCullough was inducted into the DC Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and received the National Society SAR Good Citizenship Award.[71]

## Works

[edit]

### Books

[edit]

Title | Year | Subject matter | Awards[72] | Interviews and presentations

|
|
|
|

The Johnstown Flood: The Incredible Story Behind One of the Most Devastating Disasters America Has Ever Known | 1968 | Johnstown Flood |  |
The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge | 1972 | Brooklyn Bridge |  | Presentation by McCullough on The Great Bridge, September 17, 2002, C-SPAN
The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870–1914 | 1977 | Panama Canal, History of the Panama Canal | National Book Award – 1978[21]
Francis Parkman Prize – 1978
Samuel Eliot Morison Award – 1978
Cornelius Ryan Award – 1978 |
Mornings on Horseback | 1981 | Theodore Roosevelt | National Book Award – 1982[27][a] |
Brave Companions: Portraits in History | 1991 | Previously published biographical essays |  |
Truman | 1992 | Harry S. Truman | Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography – 1993[1]
The Colonial Dames of America Annual Book Award – 1993
Francis Parkman Prize | Booknotes interview with McCullough on Truman, July 19, 1992, C-SPAN
Presentation by McCullough on Truman at the National Press Club, July 7, 1992, C-SPAN
John Adams. | 2001 | John Adams | Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography – 2002[1] | Presentation by McCullough on John Adams at the Library of Congress, April 24, 2001, C-SPAN
Presentation by McCullough on John Adams at the National Book Festival, September 8, 2001, C-SPAN
1776 | 2005 | American Revolution, American Revolutionary War | American Compass Best Book – 2005 | Presentation by McCullough on 1776 to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, June 9, 2005, C-SPAN
Q&A interview with McCullough on 1776, August 7, 2005, C-SPAN
Presentation by McCullough on 1776 at the National Book Festival, September 24, 2005, C-SPAN
Presentation by McCullough on 1776 at the Texas State Capital, October 29, 2005
In the Dark Streets Shineth: A 1941 Christmas Eve Story | 2010 | Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Arcadia Conference |  |
The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris | 2011 | Americans in Paris during the 19th century, including James Fenimore Cooper and Samuel Morse |  | Part one and Part two of Q&A interview with McCullough on The Greater Journey, May 22 & 29, 2011, C-SPAN
Presentation by McCullough on The Greater Journey at the National Book Festival, September 25, 2011, C-SPAN
Interview with McCullough on The Greater Journey at the National Book Festival, September 25, 2011, C-SPAN
The Wright Brothers | 2015 | The Wright Brothers | National Aviation Hall of Fame Combs Gates Award – 2016 | Q&A interview with McCullough on The Wright Brothers, May 31, 2015, C-SPAN
The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For | 2017 |  |  | Q&A interview with McCullough on The American Spirit, April 23, 2017, C-SPAN
The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West[73] | 2019 | American pioneers to the Northwest Territory |  | Q&A interview with McCullough on The Pioneers, May 19, 2019, C-SPAN

### Narrations

[edit]

McCullough narrated many television shows and documentaries throughout his career.[74] In addition to narrating the 2003 film Seabiscuit, McCullough hosted PBS's American Experience from 1988 to 1999.[31] McCullough narrated numerous documentaries directed by Ken Burns, including the Emmy Award–winning The Civil War,[31] the Academy Award–nominated Brooklyn Bridge,[75] The Statue of Liberty,[76] and The Congress.[77] He served as a guest narrator for The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, a Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert special that aired on PBS in 2010.[78]

McCullough narrated, in whole or in part, several of his own audiobooks, including Truman, 1776, The Greater Journey, and The Wright Brothers.[79]

#### List of films presented or narrated

[edit]

* Brooklyn Bridge (1981)[75]
* Smithsonian World (five episodes, 1984–1988)[74]
* The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God (1985)[80]
* The Statue of Liberty (1985)[76]
* Huey Long (1985)[81]
* A Man, a Plan, a Canal: Panama (NOVA) (1987)[82]
* The Congress (1988)[77]
* American Experience (1988–1999)[74]
* The Civil War (nine episodes, 1990)[74]
* The Donner Party (1992)[80]
* Degenerate Art (1993)[81]
* Napoleon (2000)[83]
* George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire (2000)[80]
* Seabiscuit (2003)[74]
* The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (2010)[78]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ a b Mornings on Horseback won the 1982 award for hardcover "Autobiography/Biography".
From 1980 to 1983 in National Book Award history there were dual hardcover and paperback awards in most categories, and several nonfiction subcategories including General Nonfiction. Most of the paperback award-winners were reprints, including the 1982 Autobiography/Biography.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e "Biography or Autobiography: Past winners and finalists by category". The Pulitzer Prizes. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
2. ^ a b "Biography at Simon & Schuster". Archived from the original on June 6, 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2008.
3. ^ a b c d Sherman, Jerome L. (December 16, 2006). "Presidential biographer gets presidential medal". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2006.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Carlson, Michael (August 18, 2022). "Obituary David McCullough". The Guardian. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
5. ^ a b "David McCullough Biography and Interview". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
6. ^ "David McCullough". National Book Awards Acceptance Speeches. National Book Foundation. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
7. ^ a b c d e f "David McCullough". The Charlie Rose Show. March 21, 2008. 60 minutes in. PBS. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008.
8. ^ Nexus: The Bimonthly Newsletter of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. The Society. August 9, 1994.
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i "David McCullough Biography and Interview". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hoover, Bob (December 30, 2001). "David McCullough: America's historian, Pittsburgh son". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2008.
11. ^ a b c d Cole, Bruce. "David McCullough Interview". National Endowment for the Humanities. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2008.
12. ^ "Biography". Thorton Wilder Society. Archived from the original on June 21, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2008.
13. ^ Bolduc, Brian (June 18, 2001). "Don't Know Much about History". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
14. ^ Robbins, Alexandra (2002). Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. p. 127. ISBN 0-316-72091-7.
15. ^ "Orthodox Church Patriarch and Entertainer Lena Horne Among Honorary Degree Recipients at Yale University" (Press release). Yale University. May 25, 1998. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2008. "David McCullough graduated from Yale in 1955 with honors in English literature and began his career as writer and editor for Time Inc. in New York City."
16. ^ "David McCullough". PBS. Archived from the original on January 3, 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2008.
17. ^ a b "David McCullough biography: The Citizen Chronicler". National Endowment for the Humanities. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
18. ^ a b "Johnstown Flood: Reviews and Praise". ElectricEggplant. Archived from the original on August 14, 2007. Retrieved April 23, 2008.. The bestselling author Erik Larson has written that The Johnstown Flood was a book that changed his life. He found it full of "suspense, drama, class conflict, dire goings-on." Larson decided to write in the same genre, what he calls "narrative nonfiction," and thought McCullough's book "a Baedeker for how to go about it. I analyzed his source notes and outlined the story chapter by chapter, to try to divine just how he did it. And suddenly I had my compass. The result was Isaac's Storm." AARP Magazine, April/May 2015,10.
19. ^ Fein, Esther (August 12, 1992). "Talking History With: David McCullough; Immersed in Facts, The Better to Imagine Harry Truman's Life". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
20. ^ a b c Shaver, Leslie (April 2003). "A Painter of Words About the Past". Special Libraries Association. Archived from the original on October 29, 2002. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
21. ^ a b "National Book Awards – 1978". National Book Foundation. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
22. ^ a b c "Samuel Eliot Morison Award 1978". AmericanHeritage.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
23. ^ "Francis Parkman Prize". Book Awards. LoveTheBook.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
24. ^ "Cornelius Ryan Award". Overseas Press Club of America. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
25. ^ a b Giambarba, Paul. "History is the Story of People. Not Events". CapeArts2. Archived from the original on May 18, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
26. ^ a b "Mornings on Horseback". ElectricEggplant. Archived from the original on April 21, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
27. ^ a b "National Book Awards – 1982". National Book Foundation. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
28. ^ "Mornings on Horseback". SimonSays.com. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
29. ^ Andriani, Lynn (March 17, 2008). "McCullough and S&S: 40 Years". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
30. ^ a b ASIN 0131401041, Brave Companions: Portraits in History
31. ^ a b c d Leopold, Todd (June 7, 2005). "David McCullough brings 'John Adams' to life". CNN. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. Retrieved May 2, 2008.
32. ^ a b c d Guthmann, Edward (June 27, 2005). "Best-selling author David McCullough writes his stories from the inside out". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 6, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2008.
33. ^ a b "David McCullough's biography 'John Adams' becomes HBO miniseries". The Dallas Morning News. March 8, 2008. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
34. ^ David McCullough: Painting with Words Archived January 15, 2020, at the Wayback Machine on IMDb.
35. ^ Block, Alex Ben (April 27, 2009). "Icons: Tom Hanks". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
36. ^ The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris. Simon & Schuster. 2011. ISBN 9781416571773. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
37. ^ ASIN 1416571760, The Greater Journey
38. ^ Maslin, Janet (May 22, 2011). "The Parisian Experience of American Pioneers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
39. ^ Maslin, Janet (May 3, 2015). "'The Wright Brothers' by David McCullough". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
40. ^ "New Book by Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author David McCullough About American Pioneers to be Published by Simon & Schuster". News and Corporate Information about Simon & Schuster, Inc. October 6, 2016. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
41. ^ "Rosalee Barnes McCullough". Martha's Vineyard Times. June 21, 2022. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
42. ^ "David McCullough". Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on April 18, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
43. ^ Lambert, Lane (June 6, 2017). "At home in Hingham, McCullough writes his next book". The Patriot Ledger. Archived from the original on June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
44. ^ Stackpole, Thomas (April 30, 2019). "The Interview: Historian David McCullough". Boston. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
45. ^ Routhier, Ray (July 26, 2015). "David McCullough's latest book takes flight with the Wrights". Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
46. ^ Aldrich, Ian (October 9, 2012). "The Big Question: What's the Future of History?". Yankee. Archived from the original on June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
47. ^ "David McCullough: Painting With Words". HBO. 2009. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
48. ^ Brown, B (June 5, 2012). "Wellesley High grads told: "You're not special"". The Swellesley Report. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
49. ^ "Teacher defends "You're not special" speech". CBS News. June 11, 2012. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
50. ^ Blackman, Ann (July 9, 2000). "Take Note of Bob Graham". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on June 13, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
51. ^ Dwyer, Jim (July 12, 2016). "Scholars Steeped in Dead Politicians Take On a Live One: Donald Trump". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
52. ^ Taylor, Claire. "History is Human: An Interview with writer and historian David McCullough". The Harborlight. Archived from the original on January 14, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
53. ^ Italie, Hillel (August 8, 2022). "David McCullough, Pulitzer-winning historian, dies at 89". Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
54. ^ "Distinguished Contribution to American Letters". National Book Foundation. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2012. "With acceptance speech by McCullough and ex-post introduction by one of his publishers."
55. ^ Tziperman Lotan, Gal (May 17, 2009). "McCullough tells Eastern Nazarene graduates their education is just beginning". The Patriot Ledger. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
56. ^ "Saint Louis Literary Award – Saint Louis University". Archived from the original on August 23, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
57. ^ Saint Louis University Library Associates. "Recipients of the St. Louis Literary Award". Archived from the original on July 31, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
58. ^ "Simon & Schuster:David McCullough". Archived from the original on December 24, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
59. ^ "A Life in Writing John Hersey, 1914–1993" Archived October 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Yale Alumni Magazine. October 1993.
60. ^ John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. "Fellows whose last names begin with M". Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2008.
61. ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
62. ^ Jefferson Lecturers Archived October 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at NEH Website (retrieved January 22, 2009).
63. ^ David McCullough, "The Course of Human Events Archived March 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, text of Jefferson Lecture at NEH website.
64. ^ "Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award". Tulsa City-County Library. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
65. ^ "Biography at ElectricEggplant". Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2008.
66. ^ Barcousky, Len (December 6, 2012). "Historian McCullough 'humbled' by Pittsburgh bridge honor". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
67. ^ Phil Berube (September 8, 2015). "Air University grants David McCullough honorary degree". Maxwell Air Force Base. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
68. ^ "Phi Beta Kappa inducts alumnus David McCullough with inaugural Joseph W. Gordon Award". December 8, 2015. Archived from the original on October 17, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
69. ^ U.S. Capitol Historical Society (December 11, 2015). "David McCullough to Receive 2016 Freedom Award". USCHS 2016 Freedom Award: David McCullough. U.S. Capitol Historical Society. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
70. ^ Whelan, Aubrey (September 21, 2016). "David McCullough receives inaugural Lenfest award". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
71. ^ "DCSSAR Awards". DC Society, Sons of the American Revolution (DCSSAR). Retrieved March 12, 2023.
72. ^ "Awards". Simon & Schuster. Archived from the original on April 3, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
73. ^ Pitz, Marylynne (October 6, 2016). "Pittsburgh native David McCullough's next book will focus on generations of Northwest pioneers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on June 3, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
74. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Daniel (August 8, 2022). "David McCullough, Best-Selling Explorer of America's Past, Dies at 89". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
75. ^ a b "Brooklyn Bridge: About the Film". PBS. Archived from the original on June 18, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
76. ^ a b "The Statue of Liberty: About the Film". PBS. Archived from the original on June 6, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
77. ^ a b "The Congress: About the Film". PBS. Archived from the original on June 17, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
78. ^ a b "Photo: Natalie Cole performs with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir". Deseret News. December 11, 2009. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020.
79. ^ "David McCullough, search by narrator". AudioFile Magazine. AudioFile. Archived from the original on May 17, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
80. ^ a b c "David McCullough". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
81. ^ a b "David McCullough". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
82. ^ "A Man, a Plan, a Canal—Panama". PBS. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
83. ^ "Napoleon: About the Production". PBS. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to David McCullough.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to David McCullough.

* David McCullough at Simon & Schuster
* Appearances on C-SPAN
* In Depth interview with McCullough, December 2, 2001
* David McCullough on Charlie Rose
* David McCullough at IMDb
* David McCullough discography at Discogs
* David McCullough collected news and commentary at The New York Times
* Works by or about David McCullough at the Internet Archive
* A film clip "The Past as an Act of Faith ... In Print and On The Air (1992)" is available for viewing at the Internet Archive
* Elizabeth Gaffney and Benjamin Ryder Howe (Fall 1999). "David McCullough, The Art of Biography No. 2". The Paris Review. Fall 1999 (152).
* Speech Transcript: "Knowing History and Knowing Who We Are" at Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar on the topic, "American History and America's Future."

* v
* t
* e

Works of David McCullough

Books|

* The Johnstown Flood (1968)
* The Great Bridge (1972)
* The Path Between the Seas (1977)
* Mornings on Horseback (1981)
* Brave Companions (1991)
* Truman (1992)
* John Adams. (2001)
* 1776 (2005)
* The Greater Journey (2011)
* The Wright Brothers (2015)

Films presented
or narrated|

* Brooklyn Bridge (1981)
* Smithsonian World (5 episodes, 1984–1988)
* The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God (1984)
* The Statue of Liberty (1985)
* Huey Long (1985)
* The Congress  (1988)
* The Civil War (9 episodes, 1990)
* American Experience (23 episodes, 1991–2006)
* Coney Island (1991)
* D-Day Remembered (1994)
* Seabiscuit (2003)

Adaptations|

* Truman (1995)
* John Adams (miniseries) (2008)

* v
* t
* e

Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography (1976–2000)

* R. W. B. Lewis (1976)
* John E. Mack (1977)
* Walter Jackson Bate (1978)
* Leonard Baker (1979)
* Edmund Morris (1980)
* Robert K. Massie (1981)
* William S. McFeely (1982)
* Russell Baker (1983)
* Louis R. Harlan (1984)
* Kenneth Silverman (1985)
* Elizabeth Frank (1986)
* David J. Garrow (1987)
* David Herbert Donald (1988)
* Richard Ellmann (1989)
* Sebastian de Grazia (1990)
* Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith (1991)
* Lewis B. Puller (1992)
* David McCullough (1993)
* David Levering Lewis (1994)
* Joan D. Hedrick (1995)
* Jack Miles (1996)
* Frank McCourt (1997)
* Katharine Graham (1998)
* A. Scott Berg (1999)
* Stacy Schiff (2000)

* Complete list
* (1917–1925)
* (1926–1950)
* (1951–1975)
* (1976–2000)
* (2001–2025)

* v
* t
* e

Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography (2001–2025)

* David Levering Lewis (2001)
* David McCullough (2002)
* Robert Caro (2003)
* William Taubman (2004)
* Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan (2005)
* Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin (2006)
* Debby Applegate (2007)
* John Matteson (2008)
* Jon Meacham (2009)
* T. J. Stiles (2010)
* Ron Chernow (2011)
* John Lewis Gaddis (2012)
* Tom Reiss (2013)
* Megan Marshall (2014)
* David I. Kertzer (2015)
* William Finnegan (2016)
* Hisham Matar (2017)
* Caroline Fraser (2018)
* Jeffrey C. Stewart (2019)
* Benjamin Moser (2020)
* Les Payne and Tamara Payne (2021)
* Winfred Rembert and Erin I. Kelly (2022)
* Beverly Gage (2023)
* Jonathan Eig / Ilyon Woo (2024)
* Jason Roberts (2025)

* Complete list
* (1917–1925)
* (1926–1950)
* (1951–1975)
* (1976–2000)
* (2001–2025)

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* 2
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Japan
* Italy
* Australia
* Czech Republic
* Spain
* 2
* Portugal
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Latvia
* Croatia
* Korea
* Poland
* Vatican
* Israel
* Belgium

Academics|

* CiNii

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

People|

* Trove
* Deutsche Biographie

Other|

* IdRef
* NARA
* SNAC
* Yale LUX

*[m.]: married
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template