London School of Economics Jay Winik (born February 8, 1957) is a New York Times best-selling author and American historian who is best known for his book April 1865: The Month That Saved America.

Winik has been read by political leaders including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Harry Reid, and Mitch McConnell as well as Chief Justice John Roberts and numerous celebrities.

[9] Winik appears on the first page of George W. Bush's presidential memoir Decision Points, discussing the craft of writing history with the president.

[10] In 2017 in the New York Times, renowned actor Tom Hanks read an excerpt from April 1865 to Maureen Dowd about slavery and race relations.

He has provided historical commentary for documentaries on the History Channel and PBS as well as C-SPAN, and was the Presidential Historian for Fox News for Barack Obama's and Donald Trump's 2017 inaugurations and Senator Ted Kennedy's funeral.