Former chair of Department of History dies

by Ann Marie Deer Owens

Hugh Davis Graham, a renowned American historian who was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in history, died March 26 in Santa Barbara, Calif. He was 65 years old and passed away at home after a long battle with cancer.

The Holland N. McTyeire Professor of History and professor of political science at Vanderbilt had a strong interest in recent United States history, having written several books about civil rights, affirmative action, American politics, the presidency and higher education. His most recent book, Collision Course: The Strange Convergence of Affirmative Action and Immigration Policy in America, was published in February by Oxford University Press, and received a highly favorable review in the Wall Street Journal the day after his death.

Graham was among the plaintiffs of a lawsuit challenging President Bush's executive order to limit public access to the records of former presidents. The lawsuit, filed last November by the nonprofit group Public Citizen, contends that the executive order violates the Presidential Records Act of 1978 [see Dec. 10, 2001, Register].

"Hugh was not only a great gentleman, but also a wonderfully active historian and good citizen outside the classroom," said his friend and colleague, Erwin Hargrove, professor of political science, emeritus. Hargrove noted that Graham was deeply concerned about the openness of archives, especially those of former presidents. In addition, Graham lectured at universities across the country about his research on the development of American research universities since World War II.

Graham was a native of Arkansas who attended schools there as well as in Nashville, where he graduated from Hillsboro High School in 1954. He enrolled at Yale University, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1958 with a B.A. in history. He earned his master's and doctorate in history from Stanford University following service with the U.S. Marines in the Far East.

Graham then taught at several colleges in California before his academic career took him to Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he served as dean of graduate studies and research before coming to Vanderbilt in 1991.

Jacque Voegeli, professor of history, emeritus, was dean of the College of Arts and Science when he helped recruit Graham to Vanderbilt. "Hugh was a productive and original scholar who had the tremendous ability to think in non-traditional ways and write across a very broad period of American history," Voegeli said. "Hugh also was an excellent teacher and administrator who contributed to the life of Vanderbilt in every area."

Graham co-authored The Carter Presidency: Policy Choices in the Post New Deal Era (University Press of Kansas, 1998) and The Rise of American Research Universities: Elites and Challenges in the Postwar Era (Johns Hopkins, 1997). In 1991 he was one of three finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in history for The Civil Rights Era: Origins and Development of National Policy 1960-1972.

Graham received numerous honors through the years for his teaching and research, including the Alexander Heard Distinguished Service Professorship (2000), Madison Sarratt Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (1999), Outstanding Editorial Service Award, Journal of Policy History (1999), and Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Chapter of Tennessee (1997).

At the time of his death, Graham was the co-organizer of an international conference on the history of the Reagan presidency that took place March 28-30 at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Thomas Schwartz, associate professor of history, was among those who participated.

Graham is survived by his wife, Janet Gorman Graham, a former Vanderbilt employee who served as director of English for Internationals, and two brothers, Fred Graham and Otis Graham, and his son, Holter, of Baltimore, Md.