About the Presenter
Kieran J. O'Keefe is an Assistant Professor of History at Lyon College. He is working on a biography of Horatio Gates, who has long been one of the most controversial figures of the Revolutionary War. This project will take a fresh look at Gates’ life. It will show how Gates made substantial contributions to American independence, mostly recognized during his lifetime but erased by early national historians troubled by Gates’ acrimonious relationship with George Washington. Gates also offers an opportunity to see the American Revolution from the perspective of an officer with radical political views. He was a strong republican, shaping his leadership during the Revolutionary War and his post-war politics.