Kenneth Katzner

Kenneth Katzner (1930 − May 25, 2003) was an American linguist. An expert on the Russian language, Katzner worked as an analyst on Soviet affairs for the Central Intelligence Agency and the United States Department of Defense during the Cold War, and was an author of several notable works on the Russian language.

Biography Kenneth Katzner was born in Washington, D.C., and was raised in Forest Hills, New York. He studied Russian at Cornell University, from which he graduated in 1952. Having received intensive Russian language training at the Syracuse University Language Program, Katzner later served in the Air Force in England as a communications intelligence officer.

In the 1960s, Katzner was a writer and editor in New York City, contributing to Encyclopædia Britannica and The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

Katzner was an avid photographer and a skilled bridge player. His wife of 36 years was Betty Lenson Katzner of Washington. Katzner died of lung cancer at Sibley Memorial Hospital on May 25, 2003, at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife.