Carl van Doren

Carl van Doren was a prominent American biographer, literary critic, and historian, born on September 10, 1885, in Hope, Illinois. A significant contributor to the shaping of early 20th-century American literature, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1939 for his work on Benjamin Franklin. Van Doren earned his doctorate from Columbia University and later taught there, influencing countless students. He authored numerous works, including biographies of distinguished figures and insightful literary critiques. A member of a literary family, Carl was the brother of poet Mark van Doren and father of Charles van Doren. Van Doren passed away on July 18, 1950.