historian; born in Mt. Vernon, New York, and educated at Amherst College and Columbia University (PhD), Lord worked with public history institutions in his home state and served in the Navy during World War Two before taking the helm of the Wisconsin Historical Society in 1946, at the age of 34. He served as director until 1958, his tenure marked by a rapid expansion of services to a much wider audience than the Society had been previously attempted to reach. Under his leadership, the institution began to operate historic sites, started a field services program of collecting around the state, expanded its outreach to schools and children(including a "Historymobile"), and embraced radio and television broadcasts. After leaving the Society in 1958, Lord taught history at Columbia and at Hofstra University, where he also became chancellor (1972-73); he later directed the New Jersey Historical Society (1977-79).  Lord was also the author or editor of many books and scholarly articles.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Clifford Lee Lord Papers for details.

View a related article at Wisconsin Magazine of History Archives.

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[Source: Who Was Who in America, vol. VII (1977-1981)]