Peter Kastor, the Samuel K. Eddy Endowed Professor of History in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has been appointed as the chair of the Missouri Historical Society’s board of trustees. His term, which lasts for two years, commenced on January 1.

The historical society, founded in 1866, manages the Missouri History Museum located in Forest Park, as well as the Missouri Historical Society Library & Research Center on Skinker Boulevard and the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum downtown. Over the recent years, the society has made significant advancements in digitizing and improving public access to its collections, which feature over 175,000 artifacts.

Kastor, who became a member of the WashU faculty in 2002, is an expert in the early American republic, concentrating particularly on the presidency and federal workforce. He has authored or edited eight books along with a multitude of articles and essays. His latest digital archive, “Creating a Federal Government,” compiles records of 37,000 individuals who were employed by the federal government from 1789 to 1829.

The article Kastor named chair of Historical Society board originally appeared on The Source.