M. A. Fitzsimons (Matthew Anthony Fitzsimons, 1912 – October 24, 1992) was an American historian and a professor at the University of Notre Dame. He is best known as the longtime editor of The Review of Politics, a leading academic journal in political science.
Biography
Fitzsimons was a native of New York City. He earned an A.B. from Columbia University in 1934 and subsequently received a two-year scholarship to the University of Oxford. In 1937, he joined the faculty of the University of Notre Dame, where he would spend the majority of his academic career. He later earned a doctorate in English history from the University of Chicago.
Academic Work
Fitzsimons wrote extensively on English history, historiography, the history of the Catholic Church, and religious orders. Among his notable works is The Past Recaptured: Great Historians and the History of History (University of Notre Dame Press, 1983), which examines the perspectives of major historians.
Editorial Leadership
Fitzsimons succeeded Waldemar Gurian as editor of The Review of Politics in 1955, a role he held until 1974. During his nearly two decades of editorial leadership, he guided the journal through a period of expanding scholarly influence, building on the foundation established by Gurian. He maintained his association with the journal even after his retirement as editor.
Death
Fitzsimons died on October 24, 1992, at the age of 79–80.
