T. R. Fehrenbach

T. R. Fehrenbach, Jr.
Born(1925-01-12)January 12, 1925
San Benito, Texas, U.S.
DiedDecember 1, 2013(2013-12-01) (aged 88)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Occupation(s)Historian
Columnist for San Antonio Express-News and other publications
SpouseLillian Fehrenbach

Theodore Reed "T. R." Fehrenbach, Jr. (January 12, 1925 – December 1, 2013) was an American historian, columnist, and the former head of the Texas Historical Commission (1987–1991).[1] He graduated from Princeton University in 1947[2] with a degree in modern languages ("he never pursued graduate study or held a faculty post") [3] and wrote more than twenty books, including the bestseller Lone Star: A History of Texas and Texans[4] and This Kind of War, about the Korean War. Senator John McCain called this book "perhaps the best book ever written on the Korean War".[5] Secretary of Defense James Mattis said “There’s a reason I recommended T.R. Fehrenbach’s book...that we all pull it out and read it one more time.”[6][7][8]

Although he served as a U.S. Army officer during the Korean War, his own service is not mentioned in the book. Fehrenbach also wrote for Esquire, The Atlantic, The Saturday Evening Post, and The New Republic.[9] He wrote popular histories of Texas,[10] Mexico, and the Comanche people.[5] For almost 30 years, he wrote a weekly column on Sundays for the San Antonio Express-News. On August 23, 2013, T.R. Fehrenbach announced that he would retire from writing columns because of declining health.[11] T.R. Fehrenbach died of a congenital heart defect at Northeast Baptist Hospital in San Antonio on December 1, 2013.[12][13]

  1. ^ T.R. Fehrenbach Book Award Archived 2009-01-06 at the Wayback Machine, Texas Historical Commission, retrieved 2009-02-22
  2. ^ "T.R. Fehrenbach." The Complete Marquis Who's Who. Marquis Who's Who, 2008. Gale Biography In Context. Web. Retrieved 6 Jan. 2011. Document URL Gale Document Number: GALE|K2014301392. Fee, via Fairfax County Public Library.
  3. ^ "Lives: T.R. Fehrenbach '45". 21 January 2016.
  4. ^ Swartz, Mimi (January 23, 2009). "Oil Portraits". New York Times. ..there is, in fact, a Texas canon. Opinions vary, but my list would include T. R. Fehrenbach's "Lone Star," ...
  5. ^ a b Martin, Douglas (3 December 2013). "T.R. Fehrenbach, Historian, Dies at 88; Chronicler of Larger-Than-Life Texas". New York Times. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  6. ^ "The Book Mattis Reads to Be Prepared for War With North Korea". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
  7. ^ "Defense Secretary Jim Mattis reads this book to be prepared for war with North Korea". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
  8. ^ Kesling, Ben (2017-10-09). "On North Korea, Mattis Stresses Diplomacy, But Advises Army to Be Ready". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
  9. ^ "T(heodore) R(eed) Fehrenbach, (Jr.)." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Retrieved 6 Jan. 2011. Document URL Gale Document Number: GALE|H1000030971. Fee, via Fairfax County Public Library.
  10. ^ Roberts, Sam (May 19, 1994). "A Rank That Rankles: New York Slips to No. 3; Now Texas Is 2d Most Populous State". New York Times. ...T. R. Fehrenbach, second to none as a Texas historian.
  11. ^ A farewell from an author and historian
  12. ^ He made history read like the news
  13. ^ "Noted Texas historian, author T.R. Fehrenbach dies". Star-telegram.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.