Jacques Barzun

Jacques Martin Barzun (born November 30, 1907) continues to be a leading voice in the fields of literature, education, and cultural history. A native of France, he moved to the United States of America in 1920 and was a graduate of Columbia University in 1927 (B.A.) and 1932 (Ph.D.), where he was a prize-winning member of the Philolexian Society. Barzun became one of the founders of the discipline of cultural history during his long tenure as Seth Low Professor of History at Columbia from 1928 until 1955. From 1955 to 1958 he served as dean of the graduate school at Columbia, and then as dean of faculties and provost until 1968. He also famously co-taught Columbia's Great Books course with literary critic and fellow faculty member Lionel Trilling.