William S. McFeely

William Shield McFeely (1930–2019) was an American historian renowned for his Pulitzer Prize-winning 1981 biography of Ulysses S. Grant and contributions to reevaluating the Reconstruction era and advancing African-American history. Born in New York City, he earned degrees from Amherst College and Yale University, taught at Yale, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Georgia (retiring as Abraham Baldwin Professor of the Humanities emeritus in 1997), and later affiliated with Harvard University. Notable works include Frederick Douglass (1991 Lincoln Prize winner) and Yankee Stepfather.