Greenwich, Connecticut, USA
Died April 7, 2020
Age 98
Henry Graff was a history professor at Columbia University, focusing on presidential history. He was also an author and a regular contributor to the New York Times Book Review.
Obituary
Professor Henry Graff, distinguished American historian and Columbia University Professor, passed away peacefully on April 7, 2020 at the age of 98… He served on the faculty of Columbia University from 1946 to 1991, including for a period as the Chairman of the History Department. He specialized in the history of the Presidency of the United States and American foreign relations. Known to many U.S. Presidents, his pioneering “Seminar on the Presidency,” one of Columbia’s most popular courses, was attended by Presidents Truman and Ford… Before teaching at Columbia, he enlisted in the Army serving as a Japanese language officer and cryptanalyst in the Signal Intelligence Service, reading foreign codes and ciphers. Their work was known to have shortened the war. In what he always regarded his proudest achievement, he translated a message from the Japanese Ambassador to Germany recounting German preparations in North France to repel the expected invasion, which proved invaluable to Allied planners in England.
Published in The New York Times
“It’s hard to be too lavish in praise of Henry Graff. He was the embodiment of the phrase “a gentleman and a scholar.” Hank was both an intellectual and a pragmatist. His vast knowledge was exceeded only by his wisdom and his kindness.”
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