John Y. Simon, 1933-2008

Noted Civil War historian John Younker Simon died on July 8 in Carbondale, Illinois. He was 75. Dr. Simon was my academic mentor. I met him when I was but a fledgling graduate student at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. I was still unsure of my own goals and didn't know if I was even "professor material." He encouraged me and gave me the confidence to continue my quest toward a PhD. Without him, I don't think I would have had the capacity to persevere.

I have had some outstanding professors at SIUC and the University of Minnesota--but none like Dr. Simon. I think it was his sincere enthusiasm for Lincoln, Illinois history, and the Civil War that most drew me to him. I sat in his office for hours talking about these topics. I now realize (being a professor myself) that he probably had more important things to do than listen to me rant on about Otto Kerner or Mayor Daley. Not once did he throw me out or stop one of our conversations--not once! I hope I can keep up those standards of enthusiasm and passion for my academic topics.


What follows are some facts about Dr. Simon. I have copied these details from an outstanding Lincoln blog operated by one of John's current graduate students. The blog is Lincoln Studies and the proprietor is Samuel Wheeler. Please bookmark it and read it--it is extremely enlightening.

As a teenager, Dr. Simon worked as a stock boy in the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago, under Ralph G. Newman (who became his mentor). Already enamored with his studies of Lincoln, John found himself surrounded by Lincolniana and at the gathering spot for Civil War historians Bruce Catton, E.B. “Pete” Long, Benjamin P. Thomas, and, in fact, anyone passionate about the subject.

John received his Bachelor of Arts from Swarthmore College in 1955 and his Master of Arts and doctorate degrees from Harvard University in 1956 and 1961. He taught for two years at the Ohio State University. Then, as an outgrowth of the Civil War Centennial (1961-65), the Ulysses S. Grant Association was formed and John was chosen as executive director and managing editor of The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, a position he held until his death. He began work on the grant papers in 1962 at the Ohio Historical Society and moved to Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1964, where he nearly completed the project. Southern Illinois University Press has published 30 of 31 volumes in the chronological series.

John was also a tenured professor in the history department. Active until the end, he was working with doctoral students and was slated for the fall semester to teach Illinois history, a distance learning class with Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Lincoln, and a Civil War Learning in Retirement class. His classes filled immediately and often had waiting lists. Fall of 2008 was no exception. Teaching was a vital part of his life during his 44 years at SIUC. He relished the conversations and interactions he had with students of all ages and backgrounds, who appreciated his sense of humor and lack of pretentiousness. He kept in touch with former students, many of whom became lifelong friends and colleagues.

John was a primary founder of the Association for Documentary Editing, which honored him with its Julian P. Boyd Award. Recognized for meticulous text preparation and helpful annotation, the Grant papers serve as a model for historical, literary, scientific and philosophical editions.

John contributed forewords, introductions, chapters, articles and reviews too numerous to list. In addition to the grant papers, he edited The Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant and several other volumes. He served on committees to plan historical exhibits, was an expert witness in connection with document theft, testified before Congress in support of funding for editions, served as historical and editing consultant for varied projects and appeared on television programs such as the C-SPAN presidential series and the History Channel. Known for his wit, he was a popular speaker at Civil War round tables and conferences throughout the country and was also involved with events sponsored by John A. Logan College and commemorations of the Lincoln-Douglas debate at Jonesboro. He embarked on a project to rejuvenate Cairo, by connecting its important past with what he hoped would be its brighter future. And how he enjoyed lecturing on Civil War riverboat cruises.

His many awards include an honorary doctorate from Lincoln College, a lifetime achievement award from the Lincoln Forum and the Lincoln Prize from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.