William L. Langer

William Leonard Langer William L. Langer
Born	(1896-03-16)March 16, 1896 South Boston, Massachusetts
Died	December 26, 1977(1977-12-26) (aged 81) Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Monuments	William Langer Award (Central Intelligence Agency#Directorate of Intelligence)
Education	Boston Latin Harvard University, B.A. 1915, M.A. 1920, Ph.D. history 1923 Clark University, attended c:a 1915-1917
Occupation	academic historian, intelligence analyst, policy advisor
Employer	Worcester Academy (1915-1917) Clark University assistant professor of history (1923-1925) Clark University associate professor (1925-1927) Harvard University assistant professor (1927-1931) Harvard University associate professor (1931-1936) Harvard University Coolidge Professor of History (1936-1964) Harvard University professor emeritus 1964 University of Chicago visiting professor or lecturer (1926) Columbia University (1931) Yale University (1933) Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University (1933-1934, 1936-1941)
Home town	South Boston, Massachusetts
Spouse(s)	Susanne Katherina Knauth, philosopher (Sept. 3, 1921 - div. 1942) Rowena Morse Nelson (Apr. 9, 1943-)
Children	two, with Susanne: Leonard C. R. Langer Bertrand W. Langer
Parent(s)	Karl Rudolf Langer, a florist Johanna Rockenbach
Relatives	Rudolf Ernest Langer, elder brother Walter Charles Langer, younger brother
Awards	member, American Philosophical Society LL.D. Hamburg University, 1955 Bancroft Prize 1954 Medal for Merit, 1945 LL.D. Yale, 1945 LL.D. Harvard, 1945
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	December 1917-
Rank	engineer Sergeant
Unit	Company E 1st Gas Regiment United States Army Chemical Warfare Service
Battles/wars	World War I St. Mihiel Offensive Meuse-Argonne Offensive World War II Office of Strategic Services
Notes

William Leonard Langer (March 16, 1896 – December 26, 1977) was the chairman of the history department at Harvard University. He was on leave during World War II as head of the Research and Analysis Branch of the Office of Strategic Services. He was a specialist on the diplomacy of the 1870-1900, and the 1937-1941 periods. He edited numerous books including a series on European history, a large-scale reference book, and a university textbook.

Born in South Boston, Massachusetts, he was the second of three sons of recent German immigrants, Charles Rudolph and Johanna Rockenbach. His elder brother, Rudolf Ernest Langer, became a mathematician and his younger brother, Walter Charles Langer, a psychoanalyst.

When William was only three, his father died unexpectedly, leaving the family in difficult circumstances. Nevertheless, his mother, who supported the family by working as a dressmaker, made education a priority for her children.

After studying at the Boston Latin School, Langer attended Harvard University.

Langer was fluent in German, and taught German at Worcester Academy while furthering his own education with courses on international relations at Clark University.

His job and education were interrupted by military service World War I. After the war, he returned to his studies and obtained his Ph.D. in 1923. In 1921 he married Susanne Katherina Langer (née Knauth) who became a noted philosopher. They had two sons together before divorcing in 1942.

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