Daniel Czitrom

Daniel Czitrom is the Ford Foundation Professor of History at Mount Holyoke College, where he has taught American cultural and political history for more than four decades. Czitrom earned a doctorate in history from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and has developed a career at the intersection of scholarship, public history, and media. His expertise includes the history of New York City, American media history, and the political changes of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.

Czitrom is the author of several works in the field of American history. His first book, "Media and the American Mind: From Morse to McLuhan," received the First Books Award from the American Historical Association and has been translated into Spanish, Chinese, and Korean. He is also co-author of "Out of Many: A History of the American People," a widely used U.S. history college textbook. His collaboration with Bonnie Yochelson, "Rediscovering Jacob Riis: Exposure Journalism and Photography in Turn-of-the-Century New York," received critical attention, including reviews in New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune, and was featured on NPR's "All Things Considered." Another book, "New York Exposed: The Gilded Age Police Scandal That Launched the Progressive Era," examines a minister's campaign against corruption in 1890s New York City and the resulting political investigation, addressing themes such as police violence, poverty, vote fraud, and the origins of progressive reform.

Czitrom has contributed to public history through media and the arts. He served as historical advisor for "Copper," a BBC America dramatic series set in Civil War-era New York City, collaborating with producers and writers to ensure historical accuracy. He has appeared as an on-camera commentator for PBS documentary projects, including "Walter Winchell: The Power of Gossip" (PBS/American Masters), "Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People" (PBS/American Masters), "The Rise and Fall of Penn Station" (PBS/American Experience), and "New York: A Documentary Film." Czitrom has also co-authored historical dramas with playwright Jack Gilhooley, including "Triangle," which received an Equity Showcase Production in New York, and "Red Bessie," produced at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Czitrom was elected to the Society of American Historians, based at Columbia University, which promotes literary distinction in the field. He has served on the Society's executive board and is a distinguished lecturer for the Organization of American Historians. As a keynote speaker on topics such as Gilded Age corruption and the history of American media, Czitrom addresses audiences on the enduring relevance of America's past.