June 2006

Horton Named Fellow of American Academy of Arts and Sciences

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) has announced that James O. Horton, Benjamin Banneker Professor of American Studies and History at GW, is a member of the 2006 class of fellows. Horton joins other 2006 fellows including former presidents George H.W. Bush and William Jefferson Clinton, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, and actor/ director Martin Scorsese. Other AAAS fellows from GW include GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, Alison Spence Brooks, professor of anthropology, and Louis Bruno Sohn, distinguished research professor of law.

“Jim has a unique ability to make history come alive and to motivate students, governments, and the public to explore and embrace American history,” said Trachtenberg. “As one of the nation’s finest minds in history and American studies, there is no doubt in my mind that he is the embodiment of an AAAS fellow.”
Horton, an internationally renowned scholar in American studies and history, specializes in the role of race in American society. Long an advocate of public history, he has served as an advisor to several museums, historical societies, and film productions. Horton also has been an integral force in the creation of American studies programs abroad, especially with post-Soviet bloc countries. He has served as the Senior Fulbright Professor of American Studies at the University of Munich and the John Adams Distinguished Fulbright Chair in American History at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. Horton has won various awards, including CASE Teacher of the Year for the District of Columbia and the “Living Legend” award from the Afro-American Museum of Boston. He is the author of nine books, including, most recently, The Landmarks for African American History. Horton also was the 2004-05 president of the Organization of American Historians.

“As a historian, I am keenly aware of the 18th-century origins of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and its long and distinguished history,” said Horton .

“Its members include some of the world’s leading scientists, scholars, artists, and public leaders. I am deeply honored to be elected to such a venerable organization.”
Founded in 1780 by John Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock, and other scholar-patriots, the AAAS has elected as fellows and foreign honorary members the finest minds and most influential leaders from each generation. The current membership includes more than 170 Nobel laureates and 50 Pulitzer Prize winners. An independent policy research center, the academy undertakes studies of complex and emerging problems. Current academy research focuses on science and global security, social policy, the humanities and culture,
and education.

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