Neil Jumonville

The fourth child of Annette Ansley Jumonville and Jim (Urie) Jumonville, Neil was born in Portland, Oregon, October 7, 1952, graduating from Lincoln High School (Portland) in 1970. From there Neil went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in Economic Thought from Reed College (1977), MA in History from Columbia University (1979), MA in History from Harvard University (1983), and PhD in History of American Civilization from Harvard University (1987).

Neil served first as Instructor and then as Lecturer in History and Literature at Harvard University (1986-1990). But he spent the bulk of his professional career at Florida State University where he rose from Assistant to Full Professor (1990-2000). In 1999 he was named the William Warren Rogers Professor of History at FSU, and he chaired the History Department from 2002 to 2008. A much-loved classroom professor, Jumonville won teaching awards four separate years and was named Professor of the Year in 1995-96. Students will recall Neil’s “Oprah Day” where he would lead lively discussions once a week on controversial issues.

Dr. Jumonville’s main scholarship and publishing focused on mid-twentieth century American intellectuals as cultural critics: Critical Crossings: The New York Intellectual in Postwar America (Berkely: University of California Press, 1991), and Henry Steele Commager: Midcentury Liberalism and the History of the Present (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1999). Moreover, Neil acted as editor and contributor to two other books—The New York Intellectuals Reader (New York: Routledge, 2007) and Liberalism for a New Century (co-edited with Kevin Mattson, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007)—as well as contributing chapters to numerous books, journal articles, and shorter essays and reviews to journals and newspapers. Neil believed the role of the intellectual was to persuade readers, to defend important ideas, and to write for the public and the civic good. Poly-active in university affairs, whether through committees or Thursday Morning Basketball, Neil believed in serving his community. Family and friends will recall his commitment to hospitality, his sense of humor, and his sincere concern for others.

Neil was preceded in death by his mother, Annette Ansley Jumonville; his father, Jim Jumonville; and his brother, Steve Jumonville. He is survived by sisters, Penny Abrahamson and Anne Flaningam; and brothers, Bill Jumonville and Robert Moore-Jumonville.

A Celebration of Life will be held on October 8, 2022 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Culley’s MeadowWood Funeral Home, 1737 Riggins Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32308.