Tom Balcerski

Professor Tom Balcerski is an Associate Professor of History at Eastern Connecticut State University's School of Arts and Sciences. Holding a Ph.D. in History and Social Sciences from Cornell University, his scholarship bridges early American history with contemporary issues of gender, politics, and presidential studies. He is renowned for his book Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King (Oxford University Press, 2019) and has been featured on C-SPAN’s Lectures in History for his work on antebellum political culture.

• Education: B.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University, M.A. from SUNY Stony Brook

His teaching philosophy emphasizes critical engagement with history through interdisciplinary approaches, utilizing primary sources like letters and diaries to explore marginalized voices, including those of women, African Americans, Native Americans, and LGBTQIA+ communities. He actively connects historical narratives to modern concerns such as race, environmentalism, and human rights. Outside the classroom, he engages students with field experiences at Eastern’s arboretum and regional conferences like Phi Alpha Theta at Salem State University. Balcerski’s research focuses on the intersection of gender/sexuality with American politics, particularly in 19th-century Democratic Party dynamics, and he contributes regularly to CNN as a public intellectual.