John B. Hattendorf

John Brewster Hattendorf
Born (1941-12-22) December 22, 1941 (age 82)
Western Springs, Illinois, U.S.
Academic background
Education
InfluencesRichard G. Salomon
Charles Ritcheson
A. Hunter Dupree
Piers Mackesy
Ragnhild Hatton
N. H. Gibbs
Academic work
Institutions
Main interestsMaritime history
Notable worksOxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History (2007)
English Grand Strategy in the War of the Spanish Succcesion, 1702-1711 (1987)
Sailors and Scholars: The History of the Naval War College (1984)
U.S. Naval Strategy: Selected Documents (2006-2008)
The Evolution of the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Strategy, 1977-1988 (2004)

John Brewster Hattendorf, FRHistS, FSNR, (born December 22, 1941) is an American naval historian. He is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of more than fifty books, mainly on British and American maritime history and naval warfare. In 2005, the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings described him as "one of the most widely known and well-respected naval historians in the world."[1] In reference to his work on the history of naval strategy, an academic in Britain termed him the "doyen of US naval educators."[2] A Dutch scholar went further to say that Hattendorf "may rightly be called one of the most influential maritime historians in the world."[3] From 1984 to 2016, he was the Ernest J. King Professor of Maritime History at the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He has called maritime history "a subject that touches on both the greatest moments of the human spirit as well as on the worst, including war."[4] In 2011, the Naval War College announced the establishment of the Hattendorf Prize for Distinguished Original Research in Maritime History, named for him.[5][6] The 2014 Oxford Naval Conference - "Strategy and the Sea" - celebrated his distinguished career on April 10–12, 2014.[7] The proceedings of the conference were published as a festschrift.[8] In March 2016, Hattendorf received the higher doctorate of Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) from the University of Oxford.[9] Among the few Americans to have earned this academic degree at Oxford, Hattendorf remained actively engaged on the Naval War College campus after his formal retirement in 2016.

Remaining in scholarly service as the Ernest J. King Professor Emeritus of Maritime History at the Naval War College, Hattendorf continued guiding discussions about the role of history in understanding contemporary strategic problems in the global maritime arena. Recognizing his contributions in the fields of maritime history and naval strategy, the President of the Naval War College, Rear Admiral Jeffrey Harley, established the "John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research" in the summer of 2017. The Hattendorf Historical Center performs the mission of supporting history requirements in Professional Military Education through original documentary research, scholarly publications, public education programming, and direct support to the seagoing forces of the U.S. Navy. The Hattendorf Historical Center also provides historical foundations for contemporary discussion in the interest of facilitating international partnerships in the global maritime commons.[10]

  1. ^ U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, vol. 130/12/1,222 (December 2005), p. 64
  2. ^ Beatrice Heuser, The Evolution of Strategy: Thinking War from Antiquity to the Present (Cambridge University Press, 2010), p. 287
  3. ^ Gijs Rommelse, Review of Strategy and the Sea in Tijdschrift voor Zeegeschiedenis, no. 1 (2017), pp. 84-86, quotation on p. 84.
  4. ^ "Remarks on Receiving an Honorary Degree". Archived from the original on 2010-06-30. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
  5. ^ "H-Net news report". Archived from the original on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
  6. ^ "About U.S. Naval War College". www.usnwc.edu.
  7. ^ "2014 Oxford Naval History Conference, 10-12 April 2014". Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  8. ^ "Boydell & Brewer Publishers".
  9. ^ "About U.S. Naval War College".
  10. ^ "Research Centers". usnwc.edu.