Gabor Boritt, an American historian and the Robert Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies and director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College, died on February 2, 2026.
Hungarian-born and raised, he took part as a teenager in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 before escaping to the United States, where he pursued his higher education. Boritt became a scholar of Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War and authored, co-authored or edited 16 books on those subjects.
In 2008, he received the National Humanities Medal from President George W. Bush.
Gabor Szappanos Boritt (né Róth-Szappanos Gábor; January 26, 1940 – February 2, 2026) was a Hungarian-born American historian. He was the Robert Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies and Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. Born and raised in Hungary, he participated as a teenager in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 before escaping to America, where he received his higher education and became a scholar of Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War. He was the author, co-author, or editor of 16 books about Lincoln or the Civil War. Boritt received the National Humanities Medal in 2008 from President George W. Bush.