Nationality American Occupation Historian | Name Donald Ritchie Role Historian | |
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Born December 23, 1945 (age 78) ( 1945-12-23 ) Alma mater City College of New York (B.A., 1967)University of Maryland, College Park (M.S., 1969; Ph.D., 1975) Books The US Congress: A Very Sh, Electing FDR: The New Deal, American History: The Early, The American Journey, Our Constitution Similar People Alan Brinkley, James M McPherson, Joseph McCarthy |
Donald A. Ritchie (born December 23, 1945) is Historian Emeritus of the United States Senate.
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Education
He graduated from the City College of New York in 1967; and received a master's degree, in 1969, and a Ph.D., in 1975, from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Career
Ritchie served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1969 to 1971.
As associate historian in the Senate Historical Office, beginning in 1976, Ritchie conducted oral history interviews with former senators and retired members of Senate staff as part of the Senate oral history project. In 2009 he became the Senate historian, succeeding Richard Baker, and held that post until his retirement in 2015.
Ritchie was responsible for editing the closed hearing transcripts of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy's investigations, and has authored a number of books including Electing FDR. His book Press Gallery: Congress and the Washington Correspondents won him the Richard W. Leopold Prize of the Organization of American Historians. He has served as president of the Oral History Association and on the councils of the American Historical Association and the International Oral History Association, as well as on the board of the Society for History in the Federal Government.
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