Stephen Ambrose Biography

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Stephen Ambrose enjoyed an outstanding career as a historian. He has published numerous books on a variety of historical and biographical topics. Those topics focused on significant events in American history, including historical events ranging from World War II to the explorations of Lewis and Clark to the lives and presidencies of Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. For Ambrose, “history is more interesting than almost anything because history is biography. History is about people, what they have done and why, with what effect. The reason biography is the most popular form of nonfiction writing is that nothing is more fascinating to people than people.” His philosophy about keeping an audience engaged is best put in his own words, “as…show more content…
It was this book that prompted President Dwight Eisenhower to asked Mr. Ambrose to become his official biographer. Spending over thirty years researching President Eisenhower, he completed many works about the president, his family and events that played a major role in his life. His interviews with President Eisenhower led to two major books, Eisenhower and Berlin, 1945: The Decision to Halt at the Elbe and The Supreme Commander: The War Years of General Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was these books that established his reputation as a historian. For the first five volumes of President Eisenhower’s papers, The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, he served as editor. These volumes were published in 1970. Other works about Dwight Eisenhower include, Ike’s Spies: Eisenhower and the Espionage Establishment, which discusses Eisenhower’s skillful use of espionage in war, as well as peace time; Eisenhower: Soldier, General of the Army, President – Elect, 1890 – 1952; and Eisenhower: The President. While researching President Eisenhower’s administration, he became interested with then Vice President Richard Nixon. His admiration for Nixon was not the reason for his interest. His curiosity was what went wrong in his administration. This curiosity led to Nixon: The Education of a Politician, 1913-1962, Nixon: The Triumph of a Politician, 1962-1972 and Nixon: Ruin and Recovery of a Politician, 1973-1990. During…show more content…
Ambrose noted in his interview with the Academy of Achievement, “My interest in Lewis and Clark began with reading their journals, which my Aunt Lois had given me in the summer of 1975.” As an American historian and teacher he was embarrassed to admit that he had never read the journals. In continuing his interest in western history, Nothing Like It in the World, is about the anonymous workers who built the transcontinental railroad and the Indian wars of the American west in Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors. Of the many books Stephen Ambrose has penned, it was the books about the American west that propelled him to fame. But his devotion to telling the stories of ordinary soldiers of World War II define his legacy and passion for
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