Rate My Professor Mark Gilderhus

Mark Gilderhus served as a professor of U.S. diplomatic history at Colorado State University for 29 years, where he chaired the History Department from 1980 to 1993. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska in 1969, with research focused on the Mexican Revolution, as evidenced by his work 'Carranza and the Decision to Revolt, 1913.' In 1997, Gilderhus accepted the prestigious Lyndon Baines Johnson Chair in History at Texas Christian University, a position he held until his retirement in 2010 as emeritus professor. Describing himself as a scholar of war, politics, and diplomacy, his academic interests centered on U.S. diplomatic history and U.S.-Latin American relations, influencing generations of historians through his teaching and mentorship.

Gilderhus authored numerous influential publications, including the textbook 'History and Historians: A Historiographical Introduction,' available in multiple editions and widely used in historiography courses; 'The Second Century: U.S.-Latin American Relations since 1889' (2000), a comprehensive survey of inter-American relations; and 'Pan American Visions: Woodrow Wilson in the Western Hemisphere, 1913-1921' (1986), which examines Wilson's Pan-American policies. Other key works include 'Congressional and Public Reaction to Wilson’s Caribbean Policy, 1917-1918' (1978) and contributions to the revised 'The Third Century: U.S.-Latin American Relations since 1889' (2017). He served as president of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR), chaired panels at major conferences, and was remembered for his generous spirit, humor, and dedication to balancing academic pursuits with family life. His scholarship provided critical insights into the evolution of U.S. foreign policy in the Americas, earning citations across academic literature and establishing him as a pivotal figure in diplomatic history. Gilderhus's legacy endures through his students, publications, and leadership in professional organizations.