Langer, William (1886–1959)

US politician. A lawyer and Republican attorney general (1916–20) he enforced prohibition laws in North Dakota. Elected governor in 1933, he was removed in 1934 for soliciting funds from state employees, but was cleared and re-elected (1937–39). Serving in the US Senate (1941–59), he supported social welfare legislation but he opposed American involvement in World War II, the Marshall Plan, and US membership in the United Nations. Langer was born in Everest, North Dakota.

Langer, William (Leonard) (1896–1977)

US historian. He was one of the nation's leading authorities on European diplomatic history, military history, and US foreign policy. During World War II he worked with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) (1942–45), for which he received the Medal of Merit. In peacetime he served as an adviser to several governmental agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the State Department, and the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. The author of many scholarly works, he was widely known as the editor of several editions of An Encyclopedia of World History and of the Rise of Modern Europe series.

Langer was born in Boston, Massachusetts. After gaining his BA from Harvard University in 1915, he served with a poison-gas unit in World War I. After the war he returned to Harvard, earning his PhD in 1922. He taught at Clark University (1923–27), then spent the rest of his career on the Harvard faculty (1927–64).