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William Taubman

b. 1940

American political scientist

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About William Taubman

Born 1940. William Taubman is an American historian, political scientist, writer, university teacher and biographer.

William Chase Taubman (born November 13, 1941, in New York City) is an American political scientist. His biography of Nikita Khrushchev won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 2004 and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography in 2003.

He is currently Bertrand Snell Professor of Political Science at Amherst College.

Personal life Taubman is the son of Nora Stern, a teacher, and Howard Taubman, who was chief music critic and then chief theater critic for The New York Times in the 1950s and 60s. He is a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science and received a B.A. from Harvard University in 1962, an M.A. from Columbia University in 1965, a Certificate of the Russian Institute in 1965, and a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1969.

William Taubman is the brother of diplomatic journalist Philip Taubman.

His wife, Jane A. Taubman, was a professor of Russian, Emerita, at Amherst College.

Taubman was the recipient of a 2006 Guggenheim fellowship.

Selected publications

McNamara at War: A New History, with Philip Taubman (W. W. Norton & Company, 2025). Gorbachev: His Life and Times (W. W. Norton & Company, 2017). Trump and Putin in Historical Perspective: How We Got into the New Cold War, Amherst College A talk by William Taubman, the Bertrand Snell Professor of Political Science, Emeritus (June 6, 2017) Khrushchev: The Man and His Era (W. W. Norton & Company, 2003). Moscow Spring with Jane Taubman (Summit Books, 1989). Stalin's American Policy: From Entente to Détente to Cold War (W W Norton & Company, 1982). Khrushchev on Khrushchev by Sergei Khrushchev, (editor/translator). (Boston: Little, Brown, 1990)

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Harvard University, Columbia University, Bronx High School of Science
Employers
Amherst College
Awards
Guggenheim Fellowship; Pulitzer Prize for Biography; Order of Friendship; National Book Critics Circle Award in Biography
Also known as
William Chase Taubman

People in William Taubman's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped William Taubman's

Frequently asked questions

Who is William Taubman?

American political scientist

When was William Taubman born?

William Taubman was born on 13 November 1940 in New York City.

What is William Taubman's occupation?

William Taubman is a historian, political scientist, writer, university teacher and biographer.

What nationality is William Taubman?

William Taubman is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: William Taubman

· Wikidata: Q32678

· DBpedia: William Taubman

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). William Taubman. https://biography.guide/william-taubman/

MLA: "William Taubman." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/william-taubman/.

Chicago: "William Taubman." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/william-taubman/.

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