Victor Davis Hanson (born September 5, 1953) is an American classicist, military historian, and conservative political commentator. He grew up on a family farm in California's Central Valley near Selma, where he developed interests in agriculture and history. After earning a BA from UC Santa Cruz in 1975 and a PhD in classics from Stanford University in 1980, with research at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Hanson balanced academic work with farming on the family's forty-acre property. He has been a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University since the 1990s, where he contributes to discussions on military history, Western civilization, and contemporary politics. Hanson has taught classics and history at institutions including California State University, Fresno, and has authored numerous books and articles on ancient and modern warfare, drawing parallels between classical societies and modern America. As a commentator, he writes for major outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Review, and The Washington Times, advocating conservative perspectives on immigration, national security, and cultural issues. He has received awards including from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and remains active in media through podcasts and columns.