A version of this piece appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, June 20, 2011
A student in my American history class discovered two New York Times surveys published in 1922 listing, separately, the greatest living American women and men. In each case, a group of civic, academic and religious leaders were asked to submit their nominees.
This was not just another “best presidents” or “greatest weekend getaways” poll. As far as we could tell, the 1922 lists were unique in their time.