The Rye Free Reading Room has presented the Library’s 2023 Mayor’s Award to Lincoln scholar an author Harold Holzer. Holzer and his wife Edith lived in Rye for 42 years.
The award is presented to an individual with strong connections to Rye who has made significant contributions to the advancement of literary arts. The award was presented to Holzer by Jan Kelsey, library trustee and chair of the Rye Heritage Committee during the library’s annual meeting on the evening of Thursday, February 15, 2024.
Just ahead of President’s Day, the full-house audience listened to the leading authority and renowned Lincoln scholar talk enthusiastically about his newest book, Brought Forth on This Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration. Holzer was interviewed by Library Director Chris Shoemaker.
Holzer’s literary legacy includes 56 authored, co-authored, or edited books. A dedicated scholar, Holzer has written more than 600 articles and reviews for both popular magazines and scholarly journals, including Smithsonian, American Heritage, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. After 23 years of service, Holzer retired from his post as Senior Vice President for Public Affairs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2015.
