Great Living Cincinnatians: Honorees

1906 – 1985

Born Jan. 2, 1906, and reared in New York City, Dr. Langsam received his doctoral degree from Columbia University in 1930. He taught at Columbia from 1927 to 1938.

Dr. Langsam taught at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., from 1938 to 1945. He headed Wagner College on Staten Island in New York City from 1945 to 1952, and was president of Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania from 1952 to 1955.

Dr. Langsam was named president of the University of Cincinnati from 1955 to 1971 and guided the institution through a period of enormous growth. In his administration, the university’s enrollment grew from 14,000 to 35,000 and the annual operating budget increased from $10 million to $102 million. In 1986, University of Cincinnati Central Library was renamed Langsam Library to honor Dr. Langsam.

Dr. Langsam was the author of 15 books, including ”The World Since 1914,” first published in 1933, an academic best-seller through eight editions.