Jeffrey P. Hart ’51

Jeffrey P. Hart ’51, described in a New York Times obituary as an “influential and iconoclastic conservative who abandoned the G.O.P.,” died in Fairlee, Vermont, on February 17. Jeff taught English literature at Dartmouth for three decades. He was named the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Humanities and received the Presidential Medal for Teaching. He was an active journalist, serving as a senior editor for the National Review. He was selected to serve two six-year terms on the National Council of the Endowment for the Humanities. He was also the author of numerous books, including The Making of the American Conservative Mind. Jeff was a speechwriter for U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. In 1980 he was a founder of The Dartmouth Review, described by The New York Times as an “acerbic, decidedly conservative, often inflammatory journal.” Despite being considered one of America’s most influential conservative writers for nearly 50 years, he later defected to the Democrats, largely because of the war in Iraq. He also criticized the Republican platform on the environment. After spending two years as an undergraduate at Dartmouth, Jeff transferred to Columbia University, where he completed his bachelor’s degree and earned a doctorate in 18th-century English literature. He also served for three and a half years as a lieutenant, j.g., in U.S. Naval Intelligence. Jeff is survived by his wife, Nancy, and four children, including Benjamin ’81.