Over the course of the twentieth century the careers of few American scholars have matched that of George L. Beer in terms of versatility, much less importance. Before his premature death at the age of forty-seven, Beer--a diffident and unassuming man by nature--had proved his mettle in the demanding worlds of commerce, scholarship, journalism, and international relations. Today he is remembered above all else for his research and writings on the origins and evolution of the British Empire and as one of the founders of the influential "imperial school" of early American history.

George Louis Beer was born on Staten Island, New York, one of the early outposts of the empire to which he would later devote much of his scholarly life. He was the second son of Julius and Sophia Walter Beer, each of whom was from a family prominent in the German-Jewish community in New York...