Wilfred M. McClay (born 1951) is an American academic currently on the faculty of

Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is a Private university, private, Conservatism in the United States, conservative, Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1844 by members of the Free Will Baptists. Women were admi ...

. Political conservatives have welcomed his books on American history.

Early life and education

McClay graduated from St. John's College, and received a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in history from

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

in 1987.Wilfred M. McClay,
Curriculum Vitae
(PDF), hosted on OU.edu

Career

McClay taught at Georgetown,

Tulane The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it be ...

Johns Hopkins Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where he remained for mos ...

, and the

University of Dallas The University of Dallas is a Private university, private Catholic church, Catholic university in Irving, Texas, United States. Established in 1956, it is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Southern Associat ...

before moving to the

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UT Chattanooga, UTC, or Chattanooga) is a public university in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1886 and is part of the University of Tennessee System. History UTC was founde ...

in 1999, where he held the SunTrust Bank Chair of Excellence in Humanities. McClay is a Senior Scholar at the

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS) or Wilson Center is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topi ...

, a Senior Fellow at the

Ethics and Public Policy Center The Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) is a conservative Washington, D.C.–based think tank and advocacy group. Founded in 1976, the group describes itself as "working to apply the riches of the Jewish and Christian traditions to contempora ...

and a
The Trinity Forum
a member of the

Philadelphia Society The Philadelphia Society is a membership organization the purpose of which is "to sponsor the interchange of ideas through discussion and writing, in the interest of deepening the intellectual foundation of a free and ordered society, and of bro ...

, and a member of the Society of Scholars at the

James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions The James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, often called simply the James Madison Program (abbreviated JMP) or the Madison Program, is a scholarly institute within the Department of Politics at Princeton University espousing a ded ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

. From 2002 through 2012, he served on the National Council on the Humanities, the advisory board for the

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

. He was the President of the

for the year 2021-2022. McClay serves on the

Board of Visitors In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual co ...

Ralston College Ralston College is a private unaccredited liberal arts college in Savannah, Georgia. It describes itself as being dedicated to "freedom of thought and speech", and is associated with prominent conservative figures, with Stephen Blackwood as pr ...

and on the editorial/advisory boards of ''

The Wilson Quarterly ''The Wilson Quarterly'' is a magazine published by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. The magazine was founded in 1976 by Peter Braestrup and James H. Billington. It is noted for its nonpartisan, non-ide ...

'', ''

First Things ''First Things'' (''FT'') is a journal aimed at "advanc nga religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society", focusing on theology, liturgy, history of religion, church history, culture, education, society, politics, literat ...

'', ''

Society A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...

'', '' Historically Speaking'', ''

The University Bookman The Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal is a nonprofit educational organization based in Mecosta, Michigan. It was founded in order to continue the legacy of Dr. Russell Kirk, an American political theorist, historian, social critic, litera ...

'', '' The New Atlantis'',Wilfred M. McClay, Contributing editor
" ''The New Atlantis'' and '' The City''.''The City'', Winter 2011, p. 2

Awards

* 1995

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 ...

* 1997-98 Templeton Honor Rolls * Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars *

Fellowship * National Academy of Education Fellowship * Howard Foundation Fellowship * Earhart Foundation Fellowship * Danforth Foundation Fellowship

Works

Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story
Encounter Books 2019
"The Strange Persistence of Guilt"
''The Hedgehog Review'' Spring, 2017 *
Why Place Matters: Geography, Identity, and Civic Life in Modern America
'. New Atlantis/Encounter Books. 2014.
"Obama’s Middle Eastern Policy and the 2012 Election"
''The Jerusalem Review'' November 1, 2012
"Whig History At Eighty: The Enduring Relevance of Herbert Butterfield and His Most Famous Book"
''First Things'' March 2011
"Keeping Time"
''First Things'' June/July 2009
The Soul and the City
''The City'' Summer 2009
"Mediating Institutions"
''First Things'' April 2009
"Uncomfortable Belief"
''First Things'' May 2008
"Beyond the Right to Life"
''The New Atlantis'', Number 14, Fall 2006

Address to the

, November 1996
"The Continuing Irony of American History"
''First Things'' February 2002
"The Christian Historian and the Idea of Progress"
in * * * * ''Figures in the Carpet: Finding the Human Person in the American Past'', editor, Eerdmans, 2007

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McClay, Wilfred M. Hillsdale College faculty Johns Hopkins University alumni Georgetown University faculty Tulane University faculty Johns Hopkins University faculty University of Dallas faculty University of Oklahoma faculty University of Tennessee at Chattanooga faculty St. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe) alumni Princeton University people Living people 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers Fellows of the Earhart Foundation American male non-fiction writers 1951 births