University of Chicago Historian Thomas Holt Elected to the American Philosophical Society

The American Philosophical Society was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin. The society honors distinguished scientists, social scientists, humanities scholars, artists, and societal leaders with membership in the society. More than 240 members of the APS have won Nobel prizes. Members have included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Frost, Thomas Edison, Sandra Day O’Connor, Charles Darwin, Toni Morrison, and Albert Einstein.

This year 33 new members were elected to the society. Of these, 28 are Americans and five new members are from foreign countries. Of the 28 new American members, it appears that three are African Americans. One of these three has a current academic affiliation.

Thomas C. Holt is the James Westfall Thompson Distinguished Service Professor of American and African American History at the University of Chicago. Dr. Holt joined the faculty at the University of Chicago in 1988. He is the author of several books including The Problem of Race in the Twenty-first Century (Harvard University Press, 2001). A former MacArthur Fellow, professor Holt has served as president of the American Historical Association. Professor Holt holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Howard University in Washington, D.C. He earned a Ph.D. in history at Yale University.

The two other African American elected members of the American Philosophical Association have impressive academic credentials.

Roger W. Ferguson is president and CEO of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association. He is the former vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Dr. Ferguson holds bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in economics and a law degree, all from Harvard University.

Also elected to the American Philosophical Association is Risa J. Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She is the former Sylvan Eisman Professor of Medicine and Health Care Systems at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey is a graduate of Stony Brook University of the State University of New York System and Harvard Medical School.