Richard M. Ketchum

Richard M. Ketchum (1922–2012) was an American historian and magazine editor. Historian Douglas Brinkley has said that Ketchum was "the finest historian of the American Revolution."[1]

Early life

Ketchum was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 15, 1922, to George and Thelma Patton Ketchum. He graduated from Yale College in 1943 with a degree in American history.[2] During World War II, Ketchum served as commander of a Navy submarine chaser in the Atlantic.

Career

Ketchum owned an advertising agency until 1951 and worked at the U. S. Information Agency.[2]

Ketchum worked for the American Heritage Publishing Company from 1956 until 1974. He wrote 33 articles for American Heritage Magazine.[3]

In 1974, Ketchum moved to Shelburne, Vermont, where he co-founded Country Journal, a magazine that "offered a blend of the bucolic and the practical, particularly to city folk who had opted for the rural life," according to The New York Times.[2] The magazine was popular, reaching a circulation of 300,000. It was sold in 1984.[2]

Ketchum was the author of numerous books. The Borrowed Years, 1938–1941 (1989) described the events leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Ketchum was particularly interested in the American Revolution. His last book, Victory at Yorktown: The Campaign That Won the Revolution was an account of the battle and unlikely triumph that led to American independence.

Bibliography

Revolutionary War Books
  • 1962: Decisive Day: The Battle for Bunker Hill
  • 1973: The Winter Soldiers: The Battles for Trenton and Princeton
  • 1974: The World of George Washington
  • 1997: Saratoga: Turning Point of America's Revolutionary War
  • 2002: Divided Loyalties: How the American Revolution Came to New York
  • 2004: Victory at Yorktown: The Campaign That Won the Revolution

Other Books
  • 1965: The American Heritage Book of Great Historic Places
  • 1970: Faces from the Past
  • 1970: The Secret Life of the Forest
  • 1973: Will Rogers: His Life and Times
  • 1989: The Borrowed Years, 1938–1941

Selected Articles

References
  1. "Publisher description of the book Victory at Yorktown". Henry Holt and Co. (Amazon.com).
  2. Hevesi, Dennis (January 20, 2012). "Richard M. Ketchum Dies at 89; Chronicled the Rural Life". The New York Times.
  3. "Author Page for Richard Ketchum". AmericanHeritage.com.



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