T. J. Stiles
T. J. Stiles is an accomplished author and historian, known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning biographies that provide in-depth examinations of notable figures in American history. Born in 1964 in Foley, Minnesota, Stiles cultivated a passion for history early on, pursuing studies at Carleton College and Columbia University, where he earned advanced degrees in European history. His career began in the publishing industry, leading to freelance writing and editing projects, including notable anthologies on American history.
Stiles gained significant recognition for his first major biography, *Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War* (2002), which sought to contextualize the infamous outlaw beyond the myths surrounding him. This was followed by another acclaimed work, *The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt* (2009), which chronicles the life of the influential 19th-century businessman and earned Stiles the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize in 2010. His later work, *Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America* (2015), further solidified his reputation, receiving the Pulitzer Prize for History in 2016.
Stiles's biographies are noted for their rigorous research and scholarly perspective, making him a distinctive voice in historical literature. He resides in San Francisco with his family and continues to be involved in the martial arts community, reflecting his diverse interests and commitments beyond writing.
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Subject Terms
T. J. Stiles
Writer
- Born: 1964
- Place of Birth: Foley, Minnesota
Contribution: T. J. Stiles is a Pulitzer Prize–winning author who is best known for his critically acclaimed biographies Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War (2002), The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt (2009), and Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America.
Background
Timothy Judd Stiles was born in 1964 in the rural farming town of Foley, Minnesota. His father, Clifford D. Stiles, was the town doctor and the Benton County coroner. He has a brother, who also practices medicine, and a sister.
Stiles developed a passion for history and reading at an early age. After high school, Stiles, like his father, attended Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. There, he studied history and graduated with distinction in 1986. He then enrolled at Columbia University in New York City, where he earned his MA and MPhil degrees in European history, in 1988 and 1991, respectively.
During his high school and college years, Stiles took on a number of odd jobs. These included stints as a factory worker, a telemarketer, a janitor, a liquor-store clerk, an office temp, a gas-station attendant, and a farm worker pouring concrete for hog pens.
Career
Stiles spent the first ten years of his professional career working for New York publishing companies, first at Oxford University Press and then at Ballantine Books. He worked in many different capacities, from copywriter to manuscript editor. During this time, Stiles also launched a freelance writing career.
In 1994 Stiles edited an anthology titled The Citizen’s Handbook, which contains primary-source documents pertaining to American history. He then compiled and edited the five volumes of the In Their Own Words series of historical anthologies: Civil War Commanders (1995), Warriors and Pioneers (1996), Robber Barons and Radicals (1997), The Colonizers (1998), and Founding Fathers (1999).He also wrote articles for such publications as the Smithsonian, Denver Post, New York Times Book Review, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, among others.
Stiles’s interest in nineteenth-century America led him to the subject of Jesse James, the legendary bank robber and Wild West outlaw. After leaving Ballantine Books in 1999, Stiles began working on a scholarly biography of James that aimed to place the folk hero within an accurate historical, social, and political context in order to separate fact from myth. Those efforts culminated in the 2002 book Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War, published by Alfred A. Knopf.
Jesse James received highly favorable reviews and numerous distinctions, including being named to the New York Times’ 2002 list of notable books of the year and the American Library Association’s 2003 list of notable books for adults. It was also recognized as one of the London Sunday Times’ must-read nonfiction books and was a finalist for the 2003 Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
Before Jesse James even hit the shelves, Stiles had already begun working on his second biography, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, published by Knopf in 2009. Based on seven years of research, the seven-hundred-plus-page book examines the life and times of the titular nineteenth-century American railroad and shipping mogul. Vanderbilt was the first of the United States’ so-called robber barons, referring to the ruthless business tactics such businessmen used against competitors. In writing The First Tycoon, Stiles again took a scholarly approach, piecing together tidbits culled from documents in some three dozen libraries around the country to present an accurate and exhaustive account of Vanderbilt’s life.
The First Tycoon was also widely praised. It was named one of the notable books of 2009 by the New York Times and numerous other publications. The book earned Stiles the National Book Award in 2009 for nonfiction and the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 2010.
While developing his Vanderbilt biography, Stiles became a research fellow and led a nonfiction creative writing course at Columbia. Around that time, he also became a Cullman Center fellow at the New York Public Library, where he conducted much of his Vanderbilt research.
Following the publication of The First Tycoon, Stiles began working on a biography of the legendary US cavalry officer George Armstrong Custer. The research for this project was partially funded by a 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship. The biography, titled Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America, was published in 2015. The book received the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for History; it was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography, the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography, and the Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History.
Impact
While countless books had previously been written about Jesse James and Cornelius Vanderbilt, Stiles’s biographies of those figures represent the first attempts to examine their lives from a scholarly and historically accurate perspective. The end results were successful and thought-provoking reexaminations of two legendary figures in American history, solidifying Stiles’s reputation as one of the most important biographers of his generation. In addition to being the recipient of prestigious book awards, Stiles was also elected to the Society of American Historians in 2012 and has served as a board member for the Authors Guild.
Personal Life
Stiles married Jessica Frank in a ceremony in Kirkwood, California, in July 2006. The couple live in the Baker Beach area of San Francisco with their two children, Dillon and Sasha.
A standout football player and wrestler in high school, Stiles also became involved in the martial art of Shotokan karate as a teen. He continues that practice and regularly teaches at a local dojo he founded in San Francisco.
Bibliography
"A Brief Autobiography of T.J. Styles." TJStyles.net, 2022, www.tjstiles.net/events.htm. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
Gardner, Dwight. “The Mogul Who Built Corporate America.” Rev. of The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, by T. J. Stiles. New York Times 29 Apr. 2009: C1. Print.
Guthmann, Edward. “The First Tycoon—Vanderbilt Biography.” SFGate. Hearst Communications, 21 Dec. 2009. Web. 30 Aug. 2013.
Smith, Mary Lynn, and Paul Walsh. “Carleton Grad Grabs Pulitzer for Biography.” Star Tribune [Minneapolis]. StarTribune, 12 Apr. 2010. Web. 30 Aug. 2013.
Stiles, T. J. From Carleton to the Life-Writing Life. Carleton College, June 2011. Video.
Stiles, T. J. “Getting Real with Custer.” Interview by Sam Whiting. San Francisco Chronicle 23 Nov. 2012: E1. Print.
Stiles, T. J. Interview by Meehan Crist. NationalBook.org. National Book Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2013.
Stiles, T. J.. “Stiles’ Vanderbilt Biography a Winner.” Interview by Laurie Hertzel. Star Tribune [Minneapolis]. StarTribune, 5 Dec. 2009. Web. 30 Aug. 2013.