Michael O'Brien (13 April 1948 – 6 May 2015) was an English

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

, specialising in the intellectual history of the American South. He was Professor of American Intellectual History at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

from 2005 to 2015.

Life

Michael O'Brien was born in Plymouth, and was educated at

Devonport High School Devonport High School is a government co-educational comprehensive junior secondary school located in , Tasmania, Australia. The school caters for approximately 500 students from Years 7 to 12. The school is administered by the Tasmanian Dep ...

in the city. He was an undergraduate and research student at

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is the fifth-oldest surviving college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by ...

in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and studied for a further postgraduate degree at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

. He then taught at

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 1 ...

. He was a fellow of

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes f ...

from 2002 until his death in 2015.

Awards

* Woodward-Franklin Award for the Writing of Southern History, from the Fellowship of Southern Writers (2013) * Fellow of the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...

(2008). * 2005

Merle Curti Award The Merle Curti Award is awarded annually by the Organization of American Historians for the best book in American social and/or American intellectual history. It is named in honor of Merle Curti (1897–1996). A committee of 5 members of the Organ ...

* Bancroft Prize, Columbia University * Frank L. and Harriet C. Owsley Award, Southern Historical Association * C. Hugh Holman Award, Society for the Study of Southern Literature * American Studies Network Book Prize * Nominated Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History * Nominated Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Biography

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

"Of Cats, Historians, and Gardeners", ''Journal of American History'', June 2002
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Michael 1948 births 2015 deaths American historians Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Historians of the Southern United States University of Michigan faculty University of Arkansas faculty Miami University faculty Fellows of Jesus College, Cambridge Fellows of the British Academy Bancroft Prize winners