Stephen Fender, a significant figure in the development of American studies within UK academia, has passed away at 89. He was instrumental in establishing the discipline at Edinburgh University, University College London, and the University of Sussex.
Fender's published works include Plotting the Golden West (1981), which explored writing about the California gold rush, and Sea Changes (1992), examining the formation of an American identity among immigrants. His most recent publication, the Cambridge University Press edition of Henry James’s The Spoils of Poynton, was released shortly after his death.
Born in San Francisco, Fender graduated from Stanford University in 1958. He completed an MA by thesis at Cardiff University and later a PhD at Manchester University in 1962. His career included appointments as a lecturer at Edinburgh, a senior lecturer at UCL, and a professor of American studies at Sussex University.