Independent Historian and Biographer

Michael J. Hightower earned his doctorate in Sociology from the University of Virginia before launching his career as an independent historian and biographer. He has written numerous scholarly articles and nine books, including the two-volume Banking in Oklahoma (OU Press, 2013, 2014), and 1889: The Boomer Movement, the Land Run, and Early Oklahoma City (OU Press, 2018), a profoundly American story that posits central Indian Territory (later, central Oklahoma) as a battleground of competing interests and crucible of Gilded-Age politics. His most recent book, At War with Corruption (2 Cities Press, 2021; distributed by OU Press) chronicles the career of former U.S. Attorney Bill Price, known as the biggest corruption buster in Oklahoma history for spearheading prosecutions in the most extensive public corruption case in FBI history. Michael is currently at work on a biography of Dick T. Morgan, a progressive congressman from Oklahoma whose career (1880 – 1920) reflects a commitment to justice for all Americans regardless of race, creed, color, and country of origin. For more information, visit Michael's website, http://www.michaeljhightower.com/.