William L. Langer

For the North Dakota politician, see William Langer. For the Wisconsin politician, see William Langer (Wisconsin politician).
Not to be confused with William L. Lanier.

William L. Langer
Historian William L. Langer looking slightly to his right
Langer in 1946
Born(1896-04-16)April 16, 1896
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedDecember 26, 1977(1977-12-26) (aged 81)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationHarvard University (BA, PhD)
Occupation(s)academic historian, intelligence analyst, policy advisor
Spouses
Children2
Parents
  • Karl Rudolf Langer
  • Johanna Rockenbach
Relatives
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service / branchUnited States Army, Office of Strategic Services
RankSergeant
Unit
Battles / wars
Notes

William Leonard Langer (March 16, 1896 – December 26, 1977) was an American historian, intelligence analyst and policy advisor. He served as chairman of the history department at Harvard University. He was on leave during World War II as head of the Research and Analysis Branch of the Office of Strategic Services. He was a specialist on the diplomacy of the periods 1840–1900 and World War II. He edited many books, including a series on European history, a large-scale reference book, and a university textbook.

  1. ^ "William Leonard Langer". Dictionary of American Biography (fee, via Fairfax County Public Library). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1995. Gale Document Number: GALE|BT2310009409. Retrieved February 3, 2014. Biography in Context. (subscription required)
  2. ^ Greer, William R. (July 19, 1985). "Susanne K. Langer, Philosopher, is Dead at 89". New York Times. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  3. ^ Vetter, Herbert, ed. (2007). Notable American Unitarians 1936–1961. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Square library. pp. iii, 134. ISBN 978-0-615-14784-0. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  4. ^ "William L. Langer: Historian of Diplomacy". Notable American Unitarians. Archived from the original on December 30, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  5. ^ "CIA's Directorate of Intelligence Marks its 50th Anniversary". Central Intelligence Agency. November 4, 2002. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved February 3, 2014. William Langer Award for outstanding analytic contributions to the DI. Langer - a distinguished scholar and pioneer OSS analyst - was the first chairman of CIA's Office of National Estimates and later served on the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB). During his career, Langer demonstrated the feasibility of performing intelligence analysis by combining information from multiple intelligence collection disciplines, including imagery, signals intercepts, and human intelligence.
  6. ^ "Gas and Flame in World War I: The New Weapons of Terror". George Washington University. Retrieved February 3, 2014. Langer served as an engineer in Company E of the 1st Gas Regiment, Chemical Warfare Service, of the U.S. Army.