Gabor S. Boritt, Amerian Historian And Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College Die At 89
Gabor S. Boritt’s life was a profound testament to the pursuit of liberty, both lived and studied. Born in war-torn Hungary in 1940, he fought as a teenager in the 1956 revolution before escaping Soviet oppression to find freedom in the United States. This personal journey deeply informed his lifelong scholarship, making him one of the world’s most respected historians of Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War.
Boritt authored, co-authored, or edited sixteen books, examining Lincoln’s economic vision, the war’s causes, and its enduring meaning. He built his distinguished career at Gettysburg College, serving as the Robert Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies and founding director of the college’s Civil War Institute. There, he transformed the historic town into an international hub for scholarship and public engagement, mentoring generations of students, historians, and teachers.
In 2008, President George W. Bush awarded Boritt the National Humanities Medal, honoring a career and a life story that “stand as testaments to our Nation’s precious legacy of liberty.” While celebrated for his rigorous scholarship, those who knew him remembered something equally impactful: Gabor Boritt was a great scholar and teacher, remembered as being very, very kind and generous. Through his work and his character, he ensured that the lessons of Lincoln’s era remained vital for all.
