Theodore Rabb, professor emeritus who taught history at Princeton for 40 years, died Jan. 7, 2019. He was 81.
Having grown up in England, Rabb graduated from Oxford University in 1958. He came to Princeton that year and earned a master’s degree in 1960 and a Ph.D. degree in 1961, both in history. He taught Renaissance history at Stanford, Northwestern, and Harvard before returning to Princeton in 1967.
Specializing in early modern European history, Rabb retired from Princeton in 2006. As author and editor, he published many books. He co-founded The Journal of Interdisciplinary Historymore than 50 years ago, and was the historical adviser of the Emmy-nominated PBS television series Renaissance.
Rabb helped create the four-course humanities sequence at Princeton, which he directed and taught for many years. He was very proud of founding and directing Princeton’s Community College Partnership, which enhanced community college faculties. He chaired the National Council for History Education and New Jersey Council for the Humanities. He was on the boards of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Save Venice (Italy).
Rabb is survived by his wife, Tamar; three children (including Jeremy ’92); and five grandchildren (including Alexandra Bailin ’13).
Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.