Nancy Bradeen Spannaus

12/13/1943 - 01/16/2026

Nancy Bradeen Spannaus of Lovettsville, Virginia, a journalist, author, and public historian, died on January 16, 2026. Nancy was born in Portland, ME, on December 13, 1943. She was a graduate of Bryn Mawr College (1965), and Columbia University (1967). She was the editor-in-chief of several national publications, and also ran for statewide office in Virginia in the 1990s.
In 2017, upon retirement, she established the blog AmericanSystemNow.com, focusing on the history and principles of the American System of Economics. Her books  included Hamilton Versus Wall Street: The Core Principles of the American System of Economics; Defeating Slavery: Hamilton's American System Showed the Way; and From Subject to Citizen: What Americans Need to Know about Their Revolution. Nancy frequently spoke on Alexander Hamilton and related topics at public events. She taught in Lifelong Learning programs at Shepherd University, Long Island University, Johns Hopkins University, and Frederick (MD) Community College. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society, and other groups.
Nancy is survived by her husband of 57 years, Edward; and her second son Andrew, a journalist based in Milan, Italy.
Services will be held on Saturday, January 31, at 11 a.m., at New Jerusalem Lutheran Church in Lovettsville.