Patricia Herlihy (June 1, 1930 – October 24, 2018) was an American historian and author specializing in Russian and Soviet history.^[1][2]

Early life

When Herlihy was six months old her recently divorced mother moved to China, where they lived for five years. During this time, she learned Chinese, German and some English.

In adolescence, she met her future husband, David Herlihy, and together they lived and studied in Pisa and Florence, and also lived in France for a year. One of their sons is the historian of bicycles, David V. Herlihy.^[3][4]

Academic career

After returning to the United States, Herlihy taught Russian history at the Harvard Extension School. In 1985 Herlihy visited Odesa, Ukraine for three months, which would later be the subject of several books and articles.^[4]

After returning to the United States, the Herlihys accepted tenured positions at Brown University, where she continued to work.^[4] She also taught at Emmanuel College.