Lois G. Schwoerer (1927–2025)

Lois Green Schwoerer, Elmer Louis Kayser Professor of History emerita at the George Washington University, died on August 10, 2025. Born on June 4, 1927, she graduated from Smith College summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa and, under the direction of Caroline Robbins, completed her PhD in European and English history in 1956 from Bryn Mawr College. Her husband, Frank Schwoerer, died in 2000. She is survived by her son, Dr. John Schwoerer, and two grandchildren, Emma and Charles.

Photo courtesy Schwoerer family

Schwoerer became the first tenured woman faculty member in the history department at George Washington University, earning the rank of professor in 1976, 11 years after her arrival. She served as department chair and contributed to the creation of the women’s studies program and its MA degree. In 1992, she became the first woman to hold the Elmer Louis Kayser Professor of History. Upon her retirement in 1996, GWU established the Lois G. Schwoerer Graduate Fellowship in Early Modern English and European History. In 1997, a Festschrift in her honor was published, Politics and the Political Imagination in Later Stuart Britain (Univ. of Rochester Press).

Schwoerer was an indefatigable scholar, publishing seven books, including five monographs, four of which were published by Johns Hopkins University Press, and approximately 50 articles. For most of her career, Schwoerer explored the puzzling dilemma that early modern English men and women faced as they tried to balance England’s tradition of monarchical authority with the possibility—and eventual reality—of shared governance in the second half of the 17th century. “No Standing Armies!” The Antiarmy Ideology in Seventeenth-Century England (1974) won the annual prize of the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians. The Declaration of Rights, 1689 (1981) received honorable mention in the John Ben Snow competition. Lady Rachel Russell: “One of the Best of Women” (1988) tied together Schwoerer’s interest in women’s history and the political machinations of the Restoration. Through the lens of a “Grub Street” publicist, her next book, The Ingenious Mr. Henry Care: Restoration Publicist (2001), delved into the world of Restoration politics and print. Finally, when she was 89, Schwoerer plunged into the history of material culture with Gun Culture in Early Modern England (Univ. of Virginia Press, 2016).

Schwoerer held numerous fellowships and was elected a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She was a founding member of the Center for the History of British Political Thought at the Folger Shakespeare Library and a member of Yale University’s Committee on Parliamentary History. In 1987–89, Schwoerer served as president of the North American Conference on British Studies.

Schwoerer could be a demanding and intimidating mentor, but even if she was parsimonious with her carrots, they tasted all the sweeter when she bestowed them. In short, she brought out the best in her students. She also tirelessly promoted the careers of other prominent women historians, including Janelle Greenberg, Linda Levy Peck, and Hilda L. Smith.

Beyond academia, she enjoyed sailing and playing tennis. Schwoerer was a member of the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC. She traveled to the United Kingdom “countless times” and beyond with her husband and, after his passing, with her companion, Paul Zmola. Her dinner parties were always elegant affairs, complete with heady conversations addressing contemporary, often highly controversial topics—much to the chagrin of the occasionally uninitiated guest.

Lois Schwoerer will be remembered fondly by all those who had the privilege to work with her. She had tremendous strength of will, and she certainly knew her own mind. Lois truly loved studying early modern English history, especially at the Folger Shakespeare Library, where she kept a personal seat cushion at her favorite desk. She will be missed by the many students, colleagues, and friends who had the privilege of knowing and loving our dear friend Lois.