Gage

J. Edgar Hoover was one of the most powerful Americans of the 20th century. Confidant, counselor and adversary to eight U.S. presidents, he served as head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1924 until his death in 1972.

Historian Beverly Gage will discuss Hoover at the Cornell Department of History’s Carl Becker Lecture Series March 15, 16 and 17. The lectures will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Kaufmann Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall, and are free and open to the public.

Gage’s three talks will highlight compelling details about Hoover’s life and politics: “J. Edgar Hoover and the American Warfare State,” March 15; “J. Edgar Hoover and the Sexuality Question,” March 16; and “J. Edgar Hoover v. Martin Luther King: How the FBI Shaped the Civil Rights Movement,” March 17.

“Beverly Gage is one of our most accomplished historians of 20th century American politics and society, as well as an engaging speaker who brings history to life,” says Larry Glickman, professor of history and this year’s organizer of the Becker Lectures. “We are excited that she will be the Becker speaker this year.”

Gage is professor of history and director of undergraduate studies in history at Yale University. Her first book, “The Day Wall Street Exploded “ (2009), explored the 1920 bombing of Wall Street and the history of early 20th-century terrorism. Her biography of J. Edgar Hoover, “G-Man:  J. Edgar Hoover and the American Century,” is forthcoming.

The Becker Lectures in History series is the most important annual event sponsored by the Department of History. Now in its third decade, the series brings distinguished historians from all areas of specialization to Cornell each year. It is named for Carl Becker, who taught at Cornell from 1917 until 1941, when he became the university's historian.

Linda B. Glaser is a writer for the College of Arts and Sciences.