Former History Department chair Thomas Haskell dies at age 78

Rice University News & Media

Thomas “Tom” Haskell, the Samuel G. McCann Professor Emeritus of History and a former chair of the Department of History, died July 12 at the age of 78 from complications related to Alzheimer’s disease.
“The faculty of the History Department and of Rice University has lost one of its most important figures: a thought-provoking scholar, an inspiring teacher and, not least, a leader in faculty governance,” wrote History Department Chair Carl Caldwell, the Samuel G. McCann Professor of History, in an “in memoriam” post on the department’s website.
Thomas Haskell
Haskell came to Rice in 1970, and during his 39 years as a faculty member, he served as chair of the Department of History, speaker of the Faculty Council and director of the Center for the Study of Cultures, now known as the Humanities Research Center. He also served as chair of the Graduate Committee and as a member of the Promotion and Tenure Committee along with other university committees.
“Tom did the hard, everyday work of promoting the pursuit of truth, of defending the mission of the university and defending academic freedom,” Caldwell said. “He played a central role in developing the professor-run process for addressing severe sanctions placed on professors, including terminations. These procedures remain in place today.
“Tom was equally dedicated to his teaching. His presence in the classroom was intense and demanding — and what serious students wanted,” Caldwell said.
A Ph.D. graduate of Stanford with a B.A. from Princeton, Haskell was a noted authority on the history of American thought and society and historical interpretation. He specialized in U.S. history from the 17th century to the present and also studied Victorian intellectuals.
“Historical scholarship for Tom was serious, even sacred,” Caldwell said. “History was the fearless search for truth, no matter how uncomfortable that truth could make people. Truth was essential, as was criticism. His ...

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