David McCullough dead at 89 – Pulitzer Prize winner and author of books on American history dead, daughter confirmed

PULITZER Prize winner and bestselling author David McCullough has died at the age of 89.

The world-renowned historian died Sunday at his home in Hingham, Massachusetts, his daughter confirmed to the New York Times.

2

2

His daughter did not name a cause of death.

In a career spanning more than five decades, McCullough has written novels about the construction of the Panama Canal and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Two of McCullough’s most famous works, the presidential biographies of Harry Truman in 1992 and John Adams in 2001, won Pulitzer Prizes and were adapted into television miniseries.

He also received National Book Awards in 1977 for The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal and Mornings on Horseback, published in 1981.

The Pittsburgh native was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006 by then-President George W. Bush.

At the ceremony, Bush said, “For those who question the meaning of history, David likes to quote Harry Truman who said, ‘The only thing new in the world is history that you don’t know.’

“David McCullough reminds us that ‘the laws we live by, the liberties we enjoy, the institutions we take for granted … are all the work of other people who have gone before us.'”

Co-author Jon Meacham mourned McCullough’s death on Twitter, saying: “A generous man who chose to believe the best in America and Americans. May eternal light shine upon him.”

Code Breaker writer Walter Isaacson shared, “His excellence as an author was exceeded by his honor, kindness, and sweetness as a person. He was the consummate storyteller and gentleman.”

McCullough’s death comes just two months after the death of his wife, Rosalee Barnes, who died at their home on June 9.

Her obituary in the MV Times read: “Rosalee was appreciated by those who knew her for her kindness, honesty, optimism, energy, humor, grace, strong and even-tempered spirit, and love of conversation.

“She was always productive, helpful to her extended family, she was practical, enjoyed a good party and she loved to dance.

“When asked, she always offered great perspective and wisdom. They relied on their moral compass.”

Rosalie and David met while visiting a friend in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1951. She was 18 and met David at a dance at the Rolling Rock Club.

The couple married three years later and had five children together.