Richard Rodda John, Jr.[1] (born 1959) is an American historian who specializes in the history of business, technology, communications, and the state.
Among the institutions that have sponsored his research are the College of William and Mary, the American Antiquarian Society, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, which awarded him a faculty fellowship in 2008.
[8][9][10] According to political scientist Christopher Parsons, in John's Network Nation (2010), the historian "has carefully poured through original source documents and so can offer insights into the actual machinations of politicians, investors, municipal aldermen, and communications companies’ CEOs and engineers to weave a comprehensive account of the telegraph and telephone industries.
"[11] David E. Nye called it "a richly detailed and readable book that fills an important gap in the history of communication networks.
"[12] Since assuming his post at Columbia University, John has been known for publicly challenging vogue political economic theses on the basis of the historical record, including Tim Wu's proclamations about media consolidation and disruption[13] and mainstream media stirrings about Mitt Romney and the role of plutocrats in American politics.