Claude-Anne Lopez (October 17, 1920 – December 28, 2012), born Claude-Anne Kirschen, was a Belgian-American writer and scholar who specialized in studies of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

. Beginning with transcribing papers from French at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, she became an associate editor of ''The Papers of Benjamin Franklin'' project and senior research scholar in history at Yale. She was a co-founder of the Friends of Franklin, an association devoted to his works. She published numerous articles about Franklin, as well as three major studies of him. In her exploration of his private and family life, she was considered "one of the great Franklin scholars of our time."Amy Finnerty, "Improv Nation," ''The New York Times Book Review'', p. 17 Her book, ''The Private Franklin'' (1975), won the L.L. Winship/

PEN PEN may refer to: * (National Ecological Party), former name of the Brazilian political party Patriota (PATRI) * PEN International, a worldwide association of writers ** English PEN, the founding centre of PEN International ** PEN America, located ...

New England Award in 1976.

Early life and education

Born in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

about 1920, Claude-Anne Kirschen grew up with French as her native language. When she was in her late teens, she and her family immigrated as refugees to the United States in 1940 to escape Nazi occupation after the German invasion during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. They settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Career

Kirschen worked in the French section of the

Office of War Information The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other ...

in New York. There she met her future husband,

Roberto Sabatino Lopez Roberto Sabatino Lopez (October 8, 1910 – July 6, 1986) was an Italian-born American historian of medieval European economic history. He taught for many years at Yale University as a Sterling Professor of History. Early life and education Rob ...

(1910-1986), a wartime refugee immigrant from Italy.

Marriage and family

Kirschen married Robert S. Lopez in 1946. That year they moved to

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

, as he had been offered a position as assistant professor at

. They had two sons, Michael and Lawrence.

Franklin Papers Project

In the 1950s, Yale began a project in collaboration with the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

of Philadelphia, to publish the papers of Benjamin Franklin. (Thirty-seven volumes had been published by 2005.) Lopez began working on the project, transcribing and translating papers from French, and later from Italian and German."Editor Claude-Anne Lopez describes her 'life with Benjamin Franklin'"
, ''Yale Bulletin and Calendar,'' Vol. 28, No. 34, 23 June 2000, accessed 4 November 2012 Recognizing that she had insights to contribute, she published some articles on Franklin's personal life and was promoted to editor. She went on to write and publish three major studies of his life concentrating on his private life. Her "former Yale colleague Jonathan Dull ranks Lopez as one of the 20th century's great Franklin scholars." Her 1975 work, ''The Private Franklin: The Man and His Family'', revealed new information. A review in ''The New England Quarterly,'' noting the difficulty of defining Franklin's character, described it as a "superb book

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

provides most of the essential ingredients for a judgment, including some new materials and scores of ingenious perceptions.""Review: ''The Private Franklin: The Man and His Family,''
''The New England Quarterly,'' vol. 49, No. 2 (June 1976), accessed 4 November 2012 It won a PEN award for history in 1976. In addition to serving as associate editor of the ''Franklin Papers Project,'' Lopez was a senior research scholar in the Department of History. She appeared as a guest speaker on a variety of television talk shows, including the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

''Think Tank'', and its ''Was Benjamin Franklin the First American?'', which aired 29 May 2003. In 2002, Lopez was the adviser to the PBS mini-series, ''Benjamin Franklin'', directed by Ellen Hovde and

Muffie Meyer Marion "Muffie" Meyer is an American director, whose productions include documentaries, theatrical features, television series and children’s films. Films that she directed are the recipients of two Emmy Awards, CINE Golden Eagles, the Japan Pr ...

. It won a Primetime

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

. She was also a co-founder of the Friends of Franklin, devoted to the study and preservation of his works. She participated in the Creativity Foundation, established in 2000 in honor of Franklin.Contact/Credits and Appreciation"
Creativity Foundation website, 2008-2012, accessed 3 November 2012

Works

*1966/1990: ''Mon Cher Papa: Franklin and the Ladies of Paris''
2005, website production of Independence Hall Association, at ushistory.org, accessed 3 November 2012 *1975/1985: ''The Private Franklin: The Man and His Family'', in collaboration with Eugenia Herbert *1990: ''Le Sceptre et la Foudre: Franklin à Paris (1776-1785),'' in French, published by Mercure de France *2000: ''My Life with Benjamin Franklin,'' collected essays about her work and his life *2005

in the days leading up to the American Revolution. (fictional diary of the young

William Temple Franklin William Temple Franklin, known as Temple Franklin, (February 22, 1760 – May 25, 1823) was an American diplomat and real estate speculator who is best known for his involvement with the American diplomatic mission in France during the American ...

, grandson of Benjamin Franklin), written as a website production for the Independence Hall Association's website, ushistory.org.

Legacy and honors

*1976, Laurence L. & Thomas Winship/PEN New England Award for ''The Private Franklin.''"1976, Claude-Anne Lopez, ''The Private Franklin''"
L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award, accessed 4 November 2012

Death

Lopez died December 28, 2012, at the age of 92 at her

home of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

.(AP), "Scholar of Benjamin Franklin's Papers Dies at 92"
''ABC News'', 30 December 2012, accessed 30 December 2012

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Claude-Anne 1924 births 2012 deaths American people of Belgian-Jewish descent American women historians Belgian emigrants to the United States Belgian Jews Jewish American historians Writers from New Haven, Connecticut Benjamin Franklin Deaths from dementia in Connecticut Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Connecticut People of the United States Office of War Information Historians from Connecticut