Dr. Allen Carl Guelzo

Dr. Allen C. Guelzo, an eminent American historian, held the distinguished position of the Henry R. Luce III Professor of the Civil War Era at Gettysburg College and served as the Director of the Civil War Era Studies Program. Renowned for his pioneering work in Civil War-era scholarship, Guelzo has left an indelible mark on the understanding of American history, particularly through his insightful analyses of Abraham Lincoln.

His scholarship delves deep into Lincoln’s presidential leadership, exploring pivotal moments such as the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Specializing in American intellectual history spanning from 1750 to 1865, Guelzo’s dissertations have earned him prestigious awards, including the American Library Association Choice Award and the Albert C. Outler Prize.

In 1996, Guelzo authored the acclaimed ‘intellectual biography’ of Lincoln, titled “Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President,” earning him the prestigious Lincoln Prize in 2000. His subsequent work, “Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America,” became the first-ever two-time winner of the Lincoln Prize, securing the honor in 2005. The success continued with “Gettysburg: The Last Invasion,” marking his third Lincoln Prize.

Recent additions to Guelzo’s prolific bibliography include “Abraham Lincoln as a Man of Ideas” and “Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates that Defined America,” the latter of which even earned him an invitation to Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Recognizing his significant contributions, Dr. Allen C. Guelzo was honored with the 2018 Bradley Prize for shaping critical debates, thoughts, and research on a pivotal period in American history.