What are the criteria for inclusion in the ANB?
There are several criteria for including someone in the ANB. First, the subject must be dead; a related consideration is that enough time should have elapsed since the death of the subject to provide the biographer with a measure of critical distance: an ANB article is a biographical essay, not an obituary. Second, the subject must have left an imprint on American history, broadly conceived; a university president, however beloved or important locally, who failed to influence higher education more generally would not qualify; this would be true of locally influential mayors, industrialists, or entertainers. But locally-rooted people whose practices, policies, or ideas had broader influence often warrant inclusion. Third, the subject must have lived in what is now the geographical extent of the United States; George III and Adolph Hitler influenced American history but are not eligible for the ANB. Fourth, sufficient materials must exist to serve as the foundation for a solid biographic
