STEVEN UJIFUSA
Historian
Steven Ujifusa is a historian who chronicles the confluence of American business, social, and maritime history. His third book, The Last Ships from Hamburg: Business, Rivalry, and the Race to Save Russia's Jews on the Eve of World War I, tells the story of Eastern European Jewish immigration to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was released by HarperCollins on November 21, 2023, and named by Publishers Weekly as one of the best books of the year. To order The Last Ships from Hamburg, visit the HarperCollins book website.
His second book, Barons of the Sea: And Their Race to Build the World's Fastest Clipper Ship, tells the saga of the great 19th century American clipper ships and the Yankee merchant dynasties they created. In 2012, The Wall Street Journal named his first book, A Man and His Ship: America's Greatest Naval Architect and His Quest to Build the SS United States (Simon & Schuster), as one of the 10 best nonfiction books of the year.
​
Steven is the recipient of the Washington Irving Medal for Literary Excellence from the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York, a MacDowell artist residency, and the Athenaeum of Philadelphia's Literary Award for Non-Fiction. He has appeared on National Public Radio, CBS Sunday Morning, and numerous other media outlets. He is a frequent contributor to the urban history website PhillyHistory.org.
​
As a corporate historian and president of Tradewinds History LLC, he is the author of Local for the Long-Term, a history of Airgas, Inc., and Creative Capital, the official history of J.M. Forbes & Company, one of the oldest independent financial services firms in the United States. Other clients include The Paul Foundation of Essex, CT, as well as individuals seeking to preserve the stories of their families, businesses, and homes.
​
A native of New York City and raised in Chappaqua, New York, Steven received his undergraduate degree in history from Harvard University and a joint masters in historic preservation and real estate development from the University of Pennsylvania. An amateur singer, he is a long-time member of the Orpheus Club of Philadelphia.
Steven resides in Philadelphia with his wife Alexandra (an emergency room pediatrician) and two sons.
​
To schedule Steven for a speaking event, please use the contact form.
​
​
