THOMAS H. BENDER is a notable American historian specializing in urban history and intellectual history. He has served as University Professor of the Humanities at New York University since 1982. He was the Chair of the Department of History from 1986 to 1989 and Dean for the Humanities from 1995 to 1998. In addition to an extensive body of published books, he has written for The New York Times, The Nation, The LA Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, and Newsday. He retired in 2015.