Walter LaFeber, an author and Cornell University history professor "whose unvarnished version of American diplomacy drew hundreds of students and spectators to his Saturday morning lectures, and whose acolytes went on to influence the nation's foreign policy," died March 9, the New York Times reported. He was 87. LaFeber "valued the roles that institutions played in shaping history, but he never underestimated the influence of individuals," enlivening his books and lectures by fleshing out characters from Aaron Burr and John Quincy Adams to George W. Bush, and even Michael Jordan in his book Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism (1999).
His other books include The New Empire: An Interpretation of American Expansion, 1860-1898 (1963); Creation of the American Empire: U.S. Diplomatic History (1973); The Panama Canal: The Crisis in Historical Perspective (1978); The American Age: U.S. Foreign Policy at Home and Abroad Since 1750 (1989); America, Russia and the Cold War (the most recent edition of which was published in 2006); and The Deadly Bet: LBJ, Vietnam, and the 1968 Election (2005).
LaFeber "was considered to be a key member and student of the Wisconsin School of American diplomatic history," the Cornell Daily Sun noted in a tribute. "While his work forgoes typical political labels, he is considered a 'moderate revisionist' who characterized the 19th century American empire as driven by economic imperialism rather than morality or security.
He also had a strong presence outside the university as a prolific writer and communicator, writing and co-authoring 20 books and dozens of articles, speaking at universities and appearing in documentaries such as PBS's American Century, BBC's End of the Cold War and Walter Cronkite's American Presidencies."
Glenn Altschuler, a longtime colleague, said, "Between 1959 and Walt LaFeber's retirement almost 50 years later, he was, without question, the most iconic, the most admired, the most respected, the most identifiable professor who made a difference in the lives of thousands and thousands of students."