NEW YORK CITY — Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal has appointed a new borough historian.

Harold Holzer, who works as the director of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, will help focus on President Abraham Lincoln’s historic presence in Manhattan and commemorating upcoming anniversaries.

His work has explored Lincoln’s visits to New York City, including the pivotal 1860 Cooper Union address, and the ways Manhattan’s press, political culture, and civic institutions shaped national debates in the Civil War era. Through books, lectures, exhibitions, and public programs, Holzer has helped situate Lincoln’s story firmly within New York City’s historical landscape.

“Harold Holzer brings an unparalleled depth of knowledge, intellectual rigor, and deep understanding of Manhattan’s place in American history to this role. His scholarship reminds us that this borough has long been a stage for national ideas and movements,” Hoylman-Sigal said in a statement.

“I’m eager to work with Harold on a number of projects concerning Manhattan history, including Abraham Lincoln’s historic presence in our borough, and determining fitting ways to recognize the 400th anniversary of the Dutch settlement in Manhattan, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the 25th anniversary of 9/11.”

From 2000 to 2010, Holzer served as co-chairman of the U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, appointed by President Bill Clinton, and subsequently served for six years as chair of the U.S. Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation. He is also the co-founder and chairman of The Lincoln Forum.

Holzer has also previously served as the senior Vice President for External Affairs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“I am honored and delighted that the Borough President has asked me to serve in this role. He is an outstanding leader I have known and respected since his earliest days in public service. And one of the things that sets him apart is his recognition that lessons from the past can help guide us to a better future. I look forward to working with him to engage our residents in Manhattan’s unique, engrossing, and still-relevant history,” Holzer said.

Holzer and his wife, Edith, live in Manhattan. They have two daughters and two grandsons.