Gil Troy


Gil Troy is an American presidential historian and a popular commentator on politics and other issues. He is Professor of History at McGill University and a 2015 visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution. Troy is the author of nine books, and the editor of two. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic and other major media outlets. He writes a column for The Daily Beast on Forgotten history, putting current events in historical perspective and is a columnist for The Jerusalem Post.

Biography

Troy was born in Queens, New York. He is the brother of Dan Troy and Tevi David Troy. He attended Jamaica High School, and received his bachelor's degree, master's degree, and doctorate from Harvard University.

Academic career

Troy taught history and literature at Harvard University from 1988 to 1990. He has taught history at McGill University since 1990. Troy has authored seven books on the American presidency and the history of presidential campaigning, including biographies of Ronald Reagan and Hillary Clinton, and edited two others, including a revised edition of a comprehensive reference guide to American presidential elections previously edited by noted historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.. He has written numerous articles on the presidency and presidential elections that have appeared in The New York Times, The Wilson Quarterly, and other newspapers, magazines and journals. He has served as Visiting Scholar at the Bipartisan Policy Center and on the Advisory Board of the History News Network. The History News Network designated him one of the first "top young historians," and Maclean's Magazine has repeatedly identified him as one of McGill's "popular Profs."

Zionist activism

Troy is a prominent activist in the debate over Zionism and the future of Israel. He has been a Shalom Hartman Center Research Fellow and helped found the center's Engaging Israel Program. His articles on the subject have appeared in The New Republic and elsewhere, and he has written two books, Why I am a Zionist and Moynihan's Moment: America's Fight Against Zionism as Racism, which David G. Dalin, writing in the National Review, called "beautifully written, and rich in its insight and analysis ... the definitive account of this episode and of why its legacy is an enduring one." Jewish Ideas Daily designated Moynihan's Moment one of its "best books" of 2012, it was the winner of a 2014 J.I. Segal Award in the category of English Non-Fiction Award on a Jewish Theme, and his article "Democracy, Judaism, and War" won a 2014 Simon Rockower Award for Excellence in Single Commentary.

Personal life

Troy is married to lawyer Linda Adams, daughter of Canadian real estate investor Marcel Adams.

Published works

Books