Alan B. Spitzer (March 27, 1925 – July 23, 2024)

Alan B. Spitzer was born in Philadelphia in 1925 and passed away peacefully at Cathedral Village in Philadelphia on July 23, 2024.

He was a distinguished scholar of French history who graduated from Central High School in Philadelphia, attended Penn State University before enlisting in the Armed Forces where he served in World War II. Wounded in action, he received a purple heart and honorable discharge, after which he resumed his studies at Swarthmore College and received a Ph.D. from Columbia University.  He taught in the history department at the University of Iowa for 35 years and was the winner of multiple fellowships including the prestigious Guggenheim, the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton, the Woodrow Wilson School at the Smithsonian Institute, and the Camargo Foundation, and was the writer of several acclaimed academic books and articles. 

Alan was an avid fly fisherman in the streams and rivers of the West, enjoyed hiking in National parks, was enthusiastic about playing golf, and a lover of jazz and blues.

He is survived by his wife, Mary F. Spitzer, sons Mark and Robert, grandchildren Mirabelle, Lucas, and Robin, and stepdaughters Margaret Kelly, Susan Von Medicus, Ann Ogle, stepson John Kelly. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Anne Larcher Spitzer, in 1997.

Research areas

• French Intellectual History