Douglas Brinkley (born December 14, 1960) is an American author, Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities,[1] and professor of history at Rice University.

Brinkley is a history commentator for CNN, Presidential Historian for the New York Historical Society, and a contributing editor to the magazine Vanity Fair.

[8] According to the Associated Press, "...if you can't tour the United States yourself, the next best thing is to go along with Douglas Brinkley aboard The Majic Bus.

"[9] Brinkley worked closely with his mentor, historian Stephen E. Ambrose, then director of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies at the University of New Orleans.

Ambrose chose Brinkley to become director of the Eisenhower Center, a post he held for five years before moving to Tulane University.

The 2004 documentary movie Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry is loosely based on Brinkley's book.

He also served as the primary historian for Spike Lee's documentary about Hurricane Katrina, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts.

Critic Nancy Franklin in The New Yorker noted that Brinkley made up a "large part" of the film's "conscience.

Brinkley and Johnny Depp were nominated for a Grammy for their co-authoring of the liner notes to the documentary: Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S.

[16] On November 18, 2011, during his testimony before a Congressional hearing on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Brinkley had a heated exchange with Rep. Don Young.

"[24] Similarly, author Bill Bryson characterized Brinkley as "a minor American academic and sometime critic whose powers of observation and generosity of spirit would fit comfortably into a proton and still leave room for an echo".

New York Times Book Review by Michiko Kakutani, May 16, 2006 Presentation by Brinkley on The Great Deluge, June 7, 2006, C-SPAN,Presentation by Brinkley on The Great Deluge, September 30, 2006, C-SPAN New York Times Book Review by Jonathan Rosen, August 6, 2009