Firuz Kazemzadeh

Firuz Kazemzadeh (Persian: فیروز کاظم‌زاده‎‎; October 27, 1924 – May 17, 2017) was a Russian-born American historian who was professor emeritus of history at Yale University.

Firuz Kazemzadeh was born in Moscow, where his father (with Iranian-Azerbaijani origins) served in the embassy of Iran. After completing his primary and secondary education in Moscow, he moved to the United States in 1944 and entered Stanford University, graduating with distinction (Phi Beta Kappa) in 1946 and obtaining an MA in 1947. In 1950 Kazemzadeh received a Ph.D. in Russian history from Harvard University.

Kazemzadeh taught at Harvard in 1954 – 1956, then moved to Yale where he was professor of history until his retirement as professor emeritus in 1992. While at Yale, he also served as Master of Davenport College.

He was the author and co-author of a number of books on the history of Russia and Iran, as well as numerous articles and reviews for authoritative scholarly publications.

Between May 15, 1998 and May 14, 2003, Kazemzadeh served as a Commissioner on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, first appointed to this position in 1998 by President Bill Clinton, and in 2001, reappointed by US Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle.

Kazemzadeh was an adherent of the Bahá'í Faith and, from 1963 to 2000, served as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States.

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