Richard Hofstadter

The death of Richard Hofstadter has been felt as a tragic loss, a harsh personal blow, not only by those who had been close to him but by colleagues, students, readers throughout the country. He was a brilliant historian. He wrote English prose with the assurance of a master. His ideas were his own, held with firmness but never fanaticism. Over the years he honored us several times by allowing DISSENT to print sections of his work before these appeared in his books. And while his political views were at some points different from our own, we knew him as a sympathetic and attentive friend whose criticism was more valuable than the praise of others. His life shone with the virtues of liberal cordiality, humane considerateness, and vibrant ...