Thomas Haskell

Thomas Langdon Haskell
1939-2017
Thomas Langdon Haskell was born in Arlington, VA, to Martha and Anthony Porter Haskell. After graduating from Washington and Lee High School and Princeton University, he served in the Navy, including working as XO on a minesweeper in Japan and as a naval advisor at the beginning of the war in Vietnam. While completing his PhD in history at Stanford University, he met his wife of 50 years, Dorothy Ann Wyatt. Tom was a professor of history at Rice University for 39 years. He was deeply committed to the university's academic mission and won teaching awards for his stirring lectures and dedication to his students. His scholarship ranged widely over U.S. history, making a mark on the history of the anti-slavery movement, the culture of the market, the history of the social sciences, the emergence of the professions, and the nature of objectivity. Tom prided himself on speaking truth, even when that truth was politically contentious or academically unfashionable. As passionate as he was about scholarship, Tom was happiest when riding his bike and climbing mountains in Crested Butte, CO, with his family.
Tom died July 12, 2017, at the age of 78, from complications of Alzheimer's Disease. He follows his sister, Anne Plunkert, in death. He is survived by his wife Dorothy, his son Alexander Haskell, daughter-in-law Patricia Reyes, daughter Susan Khan and son-in-law Rehan Khan. He is also survived by six grandchildren: Isabela, Efren, Gabriel, Zinnia, Michelle, and Eliza, all of whom knew him as their "Baba." A celebration of Tom's life will be held in the Fall. Donations in Tom's honor can be made to the American Friends Service Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union, or the Alzheimer's Association.