The Spirit of the Revolution: New Light from Some of the Original Sources of American History (Kennikat American Bicentennial Series)

John Clement Fitzpatrick (August 10, 1876 - February 10, 1940) was an archivist and an early American historian, widely regarded as an authority on George Washington. He was noted for his groundbreaking work editing Washington's diaries and many letters and documents. Appointed by the George Washington Bicentennial Commission he prevailed over the editorship in the acclaimed 39 volume work, The Writings of George Washington, published between 1931 and 1944. His involvement during this prolonged effort set many of the standards for the management of manuscripts in the Library of Congress. Fitzpatrick died before all the volumes had been published. He belonged to a number of historical societies while also earning honorary degrees from several prominent universities. Fitzpatrick's years of correspondence and other records have provided historians and with another valuable source of information on the life of and events surrounding George Washington, and on the history of Washington D.C. for that era.