Lewis Spitz

Dr. Lewis W. Spitz was William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of History (Emeritus) at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. Born in Bertrans, Neb., and raised in Concordia, Mo., Spitz earned his undergraduate degree from Concordia College, a master's degree from the University of Missouri, a Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary and a doctorate from Harvard University. He also received honorary degrees from Valparaiso University, Wittenberg University, Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind., and Concordia College in St. Paul, Minn. Before coming to Stanford in 1961, Spitz had taught history at the University of Missouri from 1953 to 1959. He was a Fulbright Professor at the Institute for European History in Mainz, Germany, and a visiting scholar at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and at Columbia University. He retired from teaching at Stanford in 1993. He served for eight years as managing editor of the Archive for Reformation History, an international scholarly journal. He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1987.