In Memoriam: A Tribute to Joseph F. Harrington
- David Dennis
- Jun 20
- 3 min read
By Linda Morse, Chief Editor, June 2025
“Too often, people assessing world developments are playing checkers, and do not have the background to play chess, a different name for diplomacy.”
- Joseph F. Harrington, From Truman to Obama, 2021
On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, Professor Joseph F. Harrington died at the home of his daughter in Virginia after a difficult year. Joe was born in Brookline, Massachusetts in October of 1934. He earned his undergraduate degree in History from Boston College, where he also met his late wife Brenda Crowley Harrington. After college, Joe served as a Captain in the United States Army. He later attended Georgetown University, earning both his master’s degree and his Ph.D. by 1971. He wrote many scholarly books and articles focused on diplomacy and relationships between American Presidents and their Secretaries of State.
I first met Professor Joseph Harrington at Framingham State University where he taught history for 37 years and served as history department chair for many years. In the 1990s, I was a student in Professor Harrington’s graduate class on French history. I remember at the beginning of the semester Professor Harrington said, “we won’t stay the whole three hours because I talk really fast, so you’ll be able to leave a little early.” He had an enormous wealth of information that I greatly admired. Professor Harrington held high standards and through his actions inspired his students to value the importance of knowledge.
In addition to being a professor of history at Framingham State University, Joe became active with the New England History Teachers Association through its publication, The New England Journal of History. In the Winter of 1990, Professor Harrington published his first article with the journal, “Romanian-American Relations 1956-90.” In the Winter of 1992, Joe became an Associate Editor, quickly followed by becoming the Issue Editor in the Winter of 1994. By the Spring of 1995, Joe assumed the role of Managing Editor, taking over for James Weland of Bentley College. In 2003, Professor Harrington was the recipient of the New England History Teachers Association Kidger Award which recognizes “excellence in teaching, research, writing, and/or service to the history profession.” Professor Harrington served as the chief editor of The New England Journal of History for over 17 years until the fall of 2012.
Years later, I grew to know Professor Harrington in a new way – by applying to assume Joe’s role as the Editor of the New England Journal of History in 2012. I was a neophyte when it came to running a journal, but Professor Harrington expressed confidence that I could manage it. Over the years, Joe has been incredibly supportive of me and the changes that I made to the journal as it grew in new directions. His compliments and questions on why I acted as I did made me a more effective editor.
We spoke on the phone many times after he moved to live with his daughter in Virginia. I know he deeply enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and family. He spoke with love and pride of his family and his children’s accomplishments.
On a more personal note, he shared his insights with me on how to navigate the loss of a spouse after I became widowed which helped me to keep going forward. I imagine the years he spent donating his time in various capacities such as the College Academy and College Gate, teaching CCD, serving on his town’s school committee, and developing CYO programs with his wife Brenda made Joe an even more compassionate and understanding person. Joe’s actions throughout his life remind us how to live – pursue your dreams, embrace your community, share your talents with the world, and live life fully. For more details on his contributions to his community outside of the journal, I have placed a link to his formal obituary below.
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