author
John Austin Stevens
1827–1910
A New York businessman turned passionate historian, he became one of the best-known champions of America’s Revolutionary past. He is especially remembered for helping found the Sons of the Revolution and for shaping popular historical writing in the late 19th century.
1 Audiobook
Albert Gallatin
by John Austin Stevens
About the author
Born in New York City on January 21, 1827, John Austin Stevens Jr. came from a prominent banking family, but his lasting reputation grew from his deep interest in American history. He was active in civic and business life, serving as secretary of the New York Chamber of Commerce and later as librarian of the New-York Historical Society.
Stevens devoted much of his energy to preserving and interpreting the story of the American Revolution. He helped found the Sons of the Revolution, an organization created to honor the memory of those who fought in the struggle for independence, and he became closely associated with historical work centered on that era.
He also reached a wide reading public through editing and historical writing. Stevens founded and for many years guided the Magazine of American History, a major periodical for readers interested in the nation’s past. He died on June 16, 1910, in Newport, Rhode Island.