James H. Billington
| James H. Billington | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 13th Librarian of Congress | |
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In office September 14, 1987 – September 30, 2015 |
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| President |
Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton George W. Bush Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Daniel Boorstin |
| Succeeded by | David Mao (Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Hadley Billington June 1, 1929 Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
Princeton University Balliol College, Oxford |
 National Press Club Luncheon Speakers, James H. Billington, January 12, 1989, speech at 6:34-30:01, National Press Club
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James Hadley Billington (born June 1, 1929), the Librarian of Congress Emeritus, is a leading American academic and author who taught history at Harvard and Princeton before serving for 42 years as CEO of four federal cultural institutions. He served as the 13th Librarian of Congress after being nominated as 13th by President Ronald Reagan in 1987, and his appointment was approved unanimously by the U.S. Senate. He retired as Librarian on September 30, 2015.
Born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Billington was educated in Philadelphia-area public schools. He was class valedictorian at both Lower Merion High School and Princeton University, where he graduated with highest honors in 1950. Three years later, he earned his doctorate from Balliol College, Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar and student of the philosopher, Isaiah Berlin.
Following service with the U.S. Army and the Office of National Estimates, he taught history at Harvard University from 1957 to 1962 and subsequently at Princeton University, where he was a professor of history from 1964 to 1974.
From 1973 to 1987, Billington was director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the nation's official memorial in Washington, D.C. to America's 28th president. As director, he founded the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies at the Center and seven other new programs as well as the Wilson Quarterly.
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