Troyer Steele Anderson Prize

Submissions Are Closed

Award Type

Award for Scholarly and Professional Distinction

The Troyer Steele Anderson Prize is awarded to the person whom Council considers to have made the most outstanding contribution to the advancement of the purposes of the Association. The prize was established by a bequest from Frank Maloy Anderson (1871–1961), a diplomatic and constitutional historian and a life member of the AHA, in honor of the memory of his son, a historian and public servant.

For questions, please contact the Prize Admin istrator.

Past Recipients

Full Listing

Click the year to read the citations.

2024
Chris McNickle, in recognition of his role in transforming the Association’s investment and financial structures

2023
Michael Les Benedict, for his long-time service as AHA parliamentarian

2016
Daniel McInerney, for his essential role in the AHA’s Tuning initiative—a multi-year, faculty-led project to articulate the disciplinary core of history and the skills that student should have at the completion of their degree.

2013
Thomas Rugh, for his invaluable work as a member of the AHA’s Finance Committee.

2011
James Billington, for his 24 years as the Librarian of Congress, during which time AHA members have benefited abundantly from his leadership and contributions

2010
Arnita Jones, for service as AHA executive director (May 1999-August 2010), as a vigorous proponent for the community of historians in a wide range of institutions, and as first director of the National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History

2008
Anna Nelson, in recognition of her efforts on behalf of public history

2007
Roy Rosenzweig, for service as vice president of the Research Division (2003-05)

2006
Linda Shopes, for service on the Committee on Women Historians (1995-98), on Council (1999-2002), and co-chair of the Task Force on Public History (2002-06)

2005
Stanley Katz, for service as vice president of the Research Division (1997-2000); on the Committee on International Historical Activities, and as chair of the AHA’s Task Force on Intellectual Property (2001- )

2004
Albert Beveridge, III, for service as pro bono legal counsel of the AHA, on the occasion of his 10th year

1999
Page Miller, in recognition of 20 years as executive director of the National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History (now called the National Coalition for History)
David Trask, for service on Council and the Teaching Division (1995-98), as contributing editor to the Teaching Column in Perspectives (Sept. 1996-Sept. 1998), and as author of the “Statement on Excellent Classroom Teaching in History” (1998)

1994
Joseph Harris, for service as founding chair of the Committee on Minority Historians, created in 1990 largely upon his initiative (during his tenure, the Wesley-Logan Prize was created and funded and the Diversity Within America pamphlet series was initiated)

1990
Willie Lee Rose, in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the Rose Report (the informal name for the Ad Hoc Committee on the Status of Women in the profession, which documented widespread sex discrimination within history departments and within the AHA)

1970
Boyd Shafer, for service as AHA executive director and AHR managing editor

Current Recipient

Chris McNickle

The AHA honors Chris McNickle in recognition of his role in transforming the Association’s investment and financial structures. As late as 2012, the AHA’s finances were overseen by a Finance Committee chair who often had no training in finance, money management, or accounting. Reforms in the early 2000s had brought professional expertise to advise on our investment practices, but still no one on the Council or Finance Committee had experience in the actual financial practices of a nonprofit.