Panel Discussion

Solicited by the Society for Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era (SHGAPE). Endorsed by WHA

Abstract

This panel reflects upon and commemorates the tremendous accomplishments and broad impact of Lloyd Ambrosius (1941-2024), a leading expert on Woodrow Wilson and Wilsonian statecraft. In his long career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), where he was the Samuel Clark Waugh Distinguished Professor of International Relations and a Professor in History, Lloyd earned a reputation as a superb teacher of U.S., diplomatic, and international relations history. His dedication as a teacher and mentor extended to his work as Mary Ball Washington Chair of American History at University College Dublin and a Fulbright Teaching and Research Professor at the University of Heidelberg. Along with shaping the outlooks of students over roughly half a century, Lloyd made a major impact on our understandings of the Progressive Era and the history of U.S. foreign relations through his research. His four major books and many chapters and articles trenchantly assess Wilson’s worldview, diplomacy, and influence. From his early work on Wilson and the New Left to his later work on Wilson’s religious formation and racism, Lloyd’s research has helped wide audiences understand liberal internationalism. Over the course of his long career, Lloyd amassed a remarkable record of professional leadership. He was the founding coordinator and chief advisor for the University of Nebraska’s International Affairs program and chair of the program committee for the University of Nebraska’s E.N. Thompson Forum on International Issues, which brought figures such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Desmond Tutu to UNL. He was a founding member of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR), which he subsequently served in many capacities. He also brought his positive grace in his interactions with colleagues and his unstinting support for junior scholars to his leadership role as President of the Society for Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era (SHGAPE). The chair of the panel, Jeannette Jones, is a noted scholar of U.S. foreign relations who also knew Lloyd as a colleague at UNL. Kristin Ahlberg, who earned a PhD under Lloyd’s direction, will discuss his contributions to the UNL history department, the broader UNL and Lincoln communities, and SHAFR and SHGAPE, and the ways that Lloyd’s interest in food aid influenced her direction as a scholar. Manfred Berg (the Curt Engelhorn Chair in American History at the University of Heidelberg), reports that Lloyd was the first U.S. scholar he met in person. In addition to discussing Lloyd’s support for scholars outside the United States, he will discuss how Lloyd’s work on U.S.-German relations influenced his own work on that topic. Ross A. Kennedy, Professor and Chair of the Department of History at Illinois State University, will consider Lloyd’s contributions in relation to Arthur Link’s views of Wilson’s foreign policies. Julia Irwin, the T. Harry Williams Professor of History at Louisiana State University, will discuss the ways that Lloyd’s scholarship influenced her work on humanitarian relief and reflect on the ways that his research has helped her draw connections between the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.