H.W. Brands was born in Oregon and moved to California for college. He studied mathematics and history at Stanford University, then returned to his high school alma mater to teach mathematics while working on graduate degrees in both mathematics and history. Dr. Brands moved from Oregon to Texas for his Ph.D., and taught at Vanderbilt University and Texas A&M University before joining the faculty at The University of Texas at Austin, where he holds the Jack S. Blanton Sr. Chair in History.
Dr. Brands writes on American history and politics, including The Man Who Saved the Union, Traitor to his Class, The First American, and TR. Several of his books have been best-sellers; two were finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Traitor to his Class and The First American. Dr. Brands is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
Ph.D.
in History, University of Texas at Austin, 1985
M.S.
in Mathematics, Portland State University, 1981
M.A.
in Liberal Studies, Reed College, 1978
B.A.
in History, Stanford University, 1975
U.S. history; American presidents; Franklin Roosevelt; Andrew Jackson; Woodrow Wilson; Benjamin Franklin; the Cold War.
Member,
Editorial Board, International History Review (2007 - Present)
Member,
Advisory Council, Theodore Roosevelt Association (2005 - Present)
Juror,
Parkman Prize, Society of American Historians (2003)
Member,
Editorial Board, Rhetoric and Public Affairs (1998 - 2006)
Associate Editor,
Editorial Board, Presidential Studies Quarterly (1998 - Present)
Member,
Executive Council, Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (1996 - 1999)
Member,
Editorial Board, Diplomatic History (1996 - 1999)
The Money Men: Capitalism, Democracy, and the Hundred Years' War Over the American Dollar (2006); Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (2005); Lone Star Nation: The Epic Story of the Battle for Texas Independence (2004); Woodrow Wilson (2003); The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (2002); The Strange Death of American Liberalism (2001); The First American: the Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (2000); Masters of Enterprise: Giants of American Business from John Jacob Astor and J.P. Morgan to Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey (1999).
South Central Regional Scholar of the Triennium
- Phi Kappa Phi (1998 - 2001)
Faculty Distinguished Research Award
- Texas A & M (1995)
Bernath Lectureship
- Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (1992)
