T. R. Fehrenbach

Theodore Reed "T. R." Fehrenbach, Jr. (January 12, 1925 – December 1, 2013) was an American historian, columnist, and the former head of the Texas Historical Commission (1987–1991).^[1] He graduated from Princeton University in 1947^[2] with a degree in modern languages ("he never pursued graduate study or held a faculty post") ^[3] and wrote more than twenty books, including the bestseller Lone Star: A History of Texas and Texans^[4] and This Kind of War, about the Korean War. Senator John McCain called this book "perhaps the best book ever written on the Korean War".^[5] Secretary of Defense James Mattis said “There’s a reason I recommended T.R. Fehrenbach’s book...that we all pull it out and read it one more time.”^[6][7][8]

Key Information

T. R. Fehrenbach, Jr.
Born	(1925-01-12)January 12, 1925 San Benito, Texas, U.S.
Died	December 1, 2013(2013-12-01) (aged 88) San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Historian Columnist for San Antonio Express-News and other publications
Spouse	Lillian Fehrenbach
Show more

Although he served as a U.S. Army officer during the Korean War, his own service is not mentioned in the book. Fehrenbach also wrote for Esquire, The Atlantic, The Saturday Evening Post, and The New Republic.^[9] He wrote popular histories of Texas,^[10] Mexico, and the Comanche people.^[5] For almost 30 years, he wrote a weekly column on Sundays for the San Antonio Express-News. On August 23, 2013, T.R. Fehrenbach announced that he would retire from writing columns because of declining health.^[11] T.R. Fehrenbach died of a congenital heart defect at Northeast Baptist Hospital in San Antonio on December 1, 2013.^[12][13]