NEW YORK, NY — Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal announced on February 13, 2026, the appointment of Harold Holzer as Manhattan Borough Historian, recognizing one of the nation’s most distinguished historians for a lifetime of scholarship, public service, and cultural leadership.
Holzer is the Director of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, a position he has held since 2015. Prior to that, he served for 23 years as Senior Vice President for External Affairs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he later became an Honorary Trustee. His career has bridged academia, government, public history, and cultural institutions, making him uniquely suited to serve as steward of Manhattan’s rich and complex historical legacy.
Holzer’s scholarship has also illuminated Manhattan’s central role in the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. His work has explored Lincoln’s visits to New York City, including the pivotal 1860 Cooper Union address, and the ways Manhattan’s press, political culture, and civic institutions shaped national debates in the Civil War era. Through books, lectures, exhibitions, and public programs, Holzer has helped situate Lincoln’s story firmly within New York City’s historical landscape.
From 2000 to 2010, Holzer served as co-chairman of the U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, appointed by President Bill Clinton, and subsequently served for six years as chair of the U.S. Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation. He is also the co-founder and chairman of The Lincoln Forum.
Holzer is the author, co-author, or editor of 55 books, primarily focused on Lincoln and 19th-century American history. His book Lincoln and the Power of the Press received the 2015 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, as well as awards from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Harvard University’s Kennedy School. His more recent work, Monument Man: The Life and Art of Daniel Chester French, earned the New England Society Award and the Saint-Gaudens Medal. His latest book, Brought Forth on this Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration (2024), received awards from the Civil War Round Table and the Lincoln Group of New York.
In recognition of his contributions to the humanities, Holzer was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2008 by President George W. Bush. In 2025, he was named a Guggenheim Fellow.
Holzer has also served as the Roger Hertog Fellow at the New York Historical and as a guest scholar at Yeshiva University. He was the historical advisor to Steven Spielberg’s film Lincoln and authored the companion book for young readers. Over the course of his career, he has written more than 650 articles and contributed chapters or introductions to an additional 65 books. He has received eight honorary degrees. Early in his career, Holzer was the editor of the weekly newspaper, The Manhattan Tribute, and a press secretary to Congresswoman Bella Abzug of Manhattan and Governor Mario Cuomo (with whom he wrote the book Lincoln on Democracy in 1990).
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal said: “Harold Holzer brings an unparalleled depth of knowledge, intellectual rigor, and deep understanding of Manhattan’s place in American history to this role. His scholarship reminds us that this borough has long been a stage for national ideas and movements. I’m eager to work with Harold on a number of projects concerning Manhattan history, including Abraham Lincoln’s historic presence in our borough, and determining fitting ways to recognize the 400th anniversary of the Dutch settlement in Manhattan, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the 25th anniversary of 9/11.”
Harold Holzer, Manhattan Borough Historian, said: “I am honored and delighted that the Borough President has asked me to serve in this role. He is an outstanding leader I have known and respected since his earliest days in public service. And one of the things that sets him apart is his recognition that lessons from the past can help guide us to a better future. I look forward to working with him to engage our residents in Manhattan’s unique, engrossing, and still-relevant history.”
Holzer and his wife, Edith, live in Manhattan. They have two daughters and two grandsons.