American writer and historian who was awarded two Pulitzer prizes for “The Age Of Jackson,” 1945 and “A Thousand Days: JFK In The White House,” 1966. He was the younger of two sons of Elizabeth Bancroft and Arthur Meier Schlesinger, a man known as the dean of American historians. In fact his father was so influential in his life, that young Arthur changed his middle name to be the same as his dad’s and added the “Jr.” to his name.
The family moved to Cambridge, MA in 1924 when dad landed a job on the Harvard faculty. Initially Arthur attended public school but his parents transferred him to Philips Exeter Academy. He graduated at age 15, and his parents, thinking him too young for college, took him on a trip around the world. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard in 1938. Although his eyesight prevented him from seeing active duty during WWII, he served as a writer for the Office of War Information and then for the Office of Strategic Services. Immediately after the war he worked as a journalist and in 1946, Schlesinger himself landed a job on the faculty of Harvard. He had married Marian Cannon and they had four children, twins, Stephen and Katharine, and and then Christina and Andrew came along. The couple divorced in 1970 and in 1971 Schlesinger married Alexandra Emmet, who had a child, Peter Allan, from a previous marriage. Together they had a son Robert, who was named after Robert Kennedy. His daughter Katharine died in 2004.
In 1961 he joined John Kennedy’s staff at the White House as special assistant. He resigned in 1964 after Kennedy’s death. He would become best known for his books on the Kennedy administration. In 1966 he taught at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and later at City University of New York as Albert Schweitzer professor of the humanities.
With his trademark bowtie, liberal leanings, and acerbic wit, Schlesinger was the epitome of an elite academic. He was fiercely political, calling for Nixon’s impeachment, praising the Kennedy brothers, John and Robert, denouncing McCarthy era tactics and criticizing President George W. Bush and his administration for involvement in the Iraq War. He enjoyed the good life, parties with the intelligentsia, martinis and food.
He published his last book, “War and the American Presidency,” in 2004.
The award-winning historian and prolific author died of a heart attack on February 28, 2007 in Manhattan. He was 89.
Link to Wikipedia biography