David McCullough

writer, 1993 & 2001 Pulitzer Prize

Davis McCullough is called the "citizen chronicler" by Librarian of Congress James Billington. His books have led a renaissance of interest in Portrait of David McCulloughAmerican history, from learning about a flood in Pennsylvania that without warning devastated an entire community to discovering the private achievements and frailties of an uncelebrated president. McCullough's biography of Harry Truman won him a Pulitzer, as did his most recent biography of another president, John Adams. David McCullough throws himself into the research of his subjects, tracing the roads they traveled, reading the books they read, and seeing the homes they lived in. His diligence pays off in detailed and engaging narratives. In receiving an honorary degree from Yale University the citation praised him. As an historian he paints with words, giving us pictures of the American people that live, breath, and above all, confront the fundamental issues of courage, achievement, and moral character.