Interview With Christopher T. Hexter

Partial Transcript: "My father's a historian, his name is Jack H. Hexter."

Segment Synopsis: Christopher's father, Jack H. Hexter was a 16th and 17th century British historian. He was the former chair of the history department at Washington University in St. Louis. George L. Mosse spoke at Washington University and stayed at Christopher's house. When Christopher was a senior in high school, he came to UW-Madison on a college visit and George took him out to lunch at the Rathskeller. Christopher ended up going to the University of Wisconsin and took a class with Mosse.

Keywords: George L. Mosse; Jack H. Hexter; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Washington University at St. Louis

Partial Transcript: "I remember his dog, Schnutzie, who was always around him."

Segment Synopsis: Christopher discussed personal anecdotes about Mosse. Christopher recalled Mosse's dog, Schnutzie, who was always around him. Mosse believed that public state universities would become the dominant force in the United States. Unfortunately, public universities are always having trouble with funding and so this prediction never became a reality. Christopher told stories about Mosse, and remarked on Mosse's fast driving. On one occassion, Mosse got pulled over while driving a student. Mosse told the student to clutch his stomach and bend over, and then told the police he was speeding because his student has appendicitis. The police then escorted Mosse and the "sick" student to the hospital. Upon arriving at the hospital, the group was greeted by a group of nuns who were former students of Mosse. The police left, and Mosse got away with speeding and lying to the police.

Keywords: Anecdote; George L. Mosse; George L. Mosse Stories

Partial Transcript: "So, what do I know about Mosse?"

Segment Synopsis: Christopher credited Mosse with fueling his interest in history. Christopher speculated on how Mosse would feel about the political climate in 2018. Christopher discussed the dysfunction between the American rural "believers" and urban "skeptics." He posited that Mosse would have found some parallels between the political tensions now and the politics during the periods he studied.

Keywords: 2018; George L. Mosse; Political Climate; Urban vs. Rural

Partial Transcript: "And then I recall his sort of looking at the campus..."

Segment Synopsis: Mosse believed the biggest danger in student movements was the risk that people would forget the importance of culture. He believed that by politicizing the campus, people would fall back on slogans. Mosse liked political discourse, but would not take his professional class time to discuss current events.

Keywords: George L. Mosse; Harvey Goldberg; Student Movements; Student Strike 1966

Partial Transcript: "What groups were you involved in during the student protests?"

Segment Synopsis: Christopher was active in the civil rights movement and worked in Mississippi in 1964. His activism began in St. Louis between his senior year of high school and starting college at the University of Wisconsin. He was involved in a bank sit-in in St. Louis. Christopher discussed James Silver and Silver's support of James Meredith, the first black student to attend the University of Mississippi. James Silver helped Christopher get an opportunity to work in Mississippi with the civil rights movement. Christopher also discussed a conservative radio host that critiqued him and other politically left student activists, but the radio host was not always accurate in his claims against Christopher.

Keywords: James Silver; Sit-In; St. Louis Civil Rights Movement; St. Louis, Missouri; Student Organizations

Partial Transcript: "The other thing about professor Mosse, he had sort of an Olympian view."

Segment Synopsis: Christopher visited Mosse at the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., where Mosse was the first scholar in residence. In D.C., Christopher met Linda Gordon and her husband. Mosse and Christopher discussed the historical approach of Christopher's father and Christopher felt that his father's work was not "Mosse's thing." Mosse was not always cognizant of dates in his own work and tended to put more focus on broader trends.

Keywords: George L. Mosse; Jack H. Hexter