Neil Harris (born 1938) is an American cultural historian. He is the Preston and Sterling Morton Professor of History and Art History Emeritus at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

Biography

Harris received an A.B. from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1958 and studied at

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the Unive ...

on a Kellett Fellowship, earning a second B.A. in 1960. He then obtained his doctorate from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1965. He wrote his dissertation under Oscar Handlin, which was published into the book ''The Artist in American Society: the Formative Years, 1790-1860'' (1966) that examined the view of art in American society. He taught at Harvard before joining the University of Chicago faculty in 1969. His scholarship has focused on a wide range of topics, including modern American culture, art, art collecting, the history of architecture, technology, and entertainment as well as the development of museums and cultural institutions. At Chicago, Harris served as chair of the history department from 1985 to 1988 and 2000–01. He retired in 2008 as Preston and Sterling Morton Professor Emeritus in the departments of History and Art History and the Committee on Geographical Studies. From 1975 to 1977, Harris was director of the

National Humanities Institute The National Humanities Institute is a nonprofit interdisciplinary educational organization founded in 1984. It is known to be affiliated with traditionalist conservatism. It publishes Humanitas (journal) ''Humanitas'' is an interdisciplina ...

. In 1978, he was appointed by President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

to the National Museum Services Board of the

Institute of Museum and Library Services The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for librar ...

and was on the board until 1986. He served as chairman of the

American Council of Learned Societies The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a private, nonprofit federation of 75 scholarly organizations in the humanities and related social sciences founded in 1919. It is best known for its fellowship competitions which provide a ra ...

, as well as a director of the Terra Foundation for American Art,

Newberry Library The Newberry Library is an independent research library, specializing in the humanities. It is located in Chicago, Illinois, and has been free and open to the public since 1887. The Newberry's mission is to foster a deeper understanding of our wo ...

Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library is an American estate and museum in Winterthur, Delaware. Winterthur houses one of the richest collections of Americana in the United States. The museum and estate were the home of Henry Francis du Pont ...

, and the

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a historical museum in Washington, D.C. It collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and m ...

. Harris was elected a member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1993. He received a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

in 1999.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Neil Living people Columbia College (New York) alumni Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni University of Chicago faculty Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences American art historians Cultural historians American social historians People associated with Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library 1938 births