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Stanley Kutler

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Stanley Kutler
Born
Stanley Ira Kutler

(1934-08-10)August 10, 1934
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
DiedApril 7, 2015(2015-04-07) (aged 80)
Fitchburg, Wisconsin, United States
Alma materBowling Green State University, Ohio State University
Occupation(s)Historian, Professor
SpouseSandra J. Sachs

Stanley Ira Kutler (August 10, 1934 – April 7, 2015) was an American historian, best known for his lawsuit against the National Archives and Richard Nixon that won the release of tape recordings Nixon made during his White House years, particularly those in relation to the Watergate scandal.

Early life and education

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Kutler was born in August 10, 1934 in Cleveland, Ohio,[1] the son of Robert (a printer) and Zelda (Coffman) Kutler. He attended Bowling Green State University (B.A., 1956) and Ohio State University (Ph.D., 1960).[2] He was also a William Green fellow at Ohio State University, 1959-1960.[3]

Academic career

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He was an instructor in history at Pennsylvania State University (1960–1962) and then taught at San Diego State University (assistant professor 1962–1964); In 1964, he was hired in the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin—Madison associate professor 1964-1970, professor of history 1970–1994 and thereafter as professor emeritus).[4][5]

Kutler's book Abuse of Power: The New Nixon Tapes (Free Press, 1997) stemmed from his successful lawsuit against the National Archives and Nixon to force the release of the long-suppressed audio recordings of many conversations that Nixon had secretly recorded during his time in the White House.[6][7][8] In 2009, Kutler was accused of errors in editing and transcribing the tapes, which resulted in White House counsel John Dean being portrayed in a more favorable light than was warranted. Kutler denied the charges.[9][10] In 2013, the final chronological installment containing 340 hours of those conversations was posted online by the National Archives and Records Administration.[11]

He has written widely in a number of fields of American history, concentrating on American constitutional history and the twentieth century. His earliest book was Judicial Power and Reconstruction Politics (University of Chicago Press, 1968). His other major books include The Wars of Watergate (Knopf, 1990); The American Inquisition (Hill & Wang, 1982), winner of the Silver Gavel Award, American Bar Association, 1983; Privilege and Creative Destruction: The Charles River Bridge Case (Norton, 1978; revised edition, 1989).[12] He has authored or edited more than half a dozen textbooks in various fields of American history. His scholarly articles have appeared in leading history and legal periodicals.[13] Prominent among his published works are editing the new edition of the Dictionary of American History, a ten-volume work (Scribner's 2002), which was awarded the American Library Association Best Reference Book Award.[14] He also edited the four-volume Encyclopedia of Twentieth-Century America (Scribner's, 1995), awarded the prize for the best reference work by the Association of Book Publishers, and The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War (Scribner's, 1995).[15]

Kutler founded Reviews in American History,[16] he also wrote op-ed pieces and reviews for many publications and appeared as an occasional commentator on National Public Radio, as well as Today, Nightline, and many other television programs. He also worked as a consultant on a number of film projects, including historical advisor for the Emmy-winning BBC documentary Watergate, and he was advisor for the Showtime film The Day Ronald Reagan Was Shot.[13]

Honors

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Kutler has been a Guggenheim Fellow, holder of the Garibaldi Chair in Political Science, University of Bologna, 1991, Distinguished Exchange Scholar (National Science Foundation) for China in 1982, and Fulbright 40th Anniversary Distinguished Lecturer, Peru, in 1987, Bicentennial Professor, Tel Aviv University, Israel, in 1984, and Fulbright Lecturer, Japan, 1977.[13]

Personal

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Kutler married Sandra J. Sachs in 1956, and they had four children.[17] In 2015, he died in Fitchburg, Wisconsin aged 80. He is survived by his wife, his three children and seven grandchildren.[2][18]

Bibliography

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  • Kutler, Stanley I. (1968). Judicial Power and Reconstruction Politics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. LCCN 68016702. OCLC 169927.
  • Kutler, Stanley I. (1990). The Wars of Watergate: The Last Crisis of Richard Nixon. New York City: Knopf. ISBN 978-0-394-56234-6. LCCN 89043351. OCLC 21042223.

References

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  1. ^ The Times (April 16, 2015). "Stanley Kutler". The Times. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Langer, Emily (April 8, 2015). "Stanley Kutler, Watergate historian who helped obtain Nixon tapes, dies". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  3. ^ Directory of American Scholars, 6th ed. (Bowker, 1974), Vol. I, p. 356.
  4. ^ American Council of Learned Societies (1982). "Directory of American Scholars". New York City: Science Press. p. 425. ISSN 0070-5101. LCCN 57009125. OCLC 1246775. Retrieved October 4, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Stanley Kutler, who won release of Nixon's secret tapes, dies at 80". Los Angeles Times. April 8, 2015. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  6. ^ Lewis, Neil A. (November 19, 1996). "In Newly Released Tapes, Nixon Is Heard Grasping for Reassurance". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  7. ^ Associated Press (March 19, 1992). "Suit Seeks Quick Release of All Nixon Tapes". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  8. ^ Nichols, John (April 8, 2015). "Stanley Kutler Battled the 'Luxuriant Privilege' of Imperial Presidents". The Nation. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  9. ^ Cohen, Patricia (January 31, 2009). "John Dean's Role at Issue in Nixon Tapes Feud". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  10. ^ Cohen, Patricia (February 1, 2009). "John Dean at issue in Nixon tapes feud". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  11. ^ Knutson, Käri (April 8, 2015). "UW-Madison professor and Nixon historian Stanley Kutler dies". University of Wisconsin–Madison. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  12. ^ "Stanley I. Kutler (1934-2015)". University of Wisconsin–Madison. April 7, 2015. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c "Stanley Kutler - Professor Emeritus". University of Wisconsin. 2008. Archived from the original on December 10, 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  14. ^ "Centennial Alumni Awards - Stanley Kutler '56". Bowling Green State University. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  15. ^ "Kutler to speak on liberating the Nixon tapes". University of Wisconsin–Madison. March 22, 2001. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  16. ^ "Stanley I. Kutler, 1934–2015". Johns Hopkins University Press. April 10, 2015. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  17. ^ Roberts, Sam (April 11, 2015). "Stanley I. Kutler, Historian Who Got Nixon Tapes Released, Dies at 80". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  18. ^ "Watergate historian Kutler dies; sued to release Nixon tapes". Associated Press. April 8, 2015. Archived from the original on October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
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