John B. Hattendorf, D.Litt
Special Advisor John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research
Biography
Professor John B. Hattendorf is the Ernest J. King Professor Emeritus of Maritime History, a chair he occupied at the U.S. Naval War College from 1984 to 2016. He served as chairman of the College’s Advanced Research Department from 1986-2003, chairman, Maritime History Department and director of the Naval War College Museum from 2003-16. A former surface warfare officer, he earned his degrees in history from Kenyon College (A.B., 1964), Brown University (A.M., 1971) and the University of Oxford (D.Phil., 1979; D.Litt., 2016). He is the author or editor of more than 50 books, including "Sailors and Scholars" (new edition forthcoming) and the "Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History" (2007).
Contact Information
Areas of Expertise
- Maritime History
- Maritime Strategy
Professional Highlights
Retirement
Adjunct Positions
Visiting Academic Positions
Naval War College
Naval Service
Education
D.Litt., University of Oxford, 2016, History
D.Phil., University of Oxford, 1979, History
A.M., Brown University, 1971, History
A.B., Kenyon College, 1964, History
Diploma, Munson Institute of American Maritime History, 1970
Awards and Decorations
Department of the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award
2016
Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award
2009 and 2016
Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet Letter of Commendation for Performance of Duty in Combat
1967
Combat Action Ribbon, Vietnam War Vietnam War Service
Three Campaigns
Other Honors
Inductee, Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame
2019
Anderson Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Maritime History, Society for Nautical Research (UK)
2017
John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research, established at Naval War College
2017
N.A.M. Rodger, J. Ross Dancy, Benjamin Darnell, and Evan Wilson, eds., Strategy and the Sea: Essays in Honour of John B. Hattendorf (Boydell, 2016)
2016
Commodore Dudley W. Knox Naval History Lifetime Achievement Award, Naval Historical Foundation
2014
The Admiral of the Navy George Dewey Award, Naval Order of the United States
2012
The Hattendorf Prize for Distinguished Original Research in Maritime History named for John Hattendorf by the Naval War
2011
Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement, Navy League of the United States
2009
Samuel Eliot Morison Award, USS Constitution Museum Foundation
2009
Dartmouth Medal of the American Library Association. “Honoring the creation of a reference work of outstanding quality and significance,” awarded to the Oxford Encyclopedia of Maritime History, John B. Hattendorf, editor-in-chief
2008
K. Jack Bauer Award for Achievement in Maritime History, North American Society for Oceanic History
2003
Caird Medal, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, UK
2000
Hall of Fame, Lyons Township High School, LaGrange, Illinois
1998
Honorary Degree: Litterarum Humaniorum Doctoris [L.H.D. or Doctor of Humane Letters], Kenyon College
1997
External Memberships and Associations
Naval Order of the United States
Historian-General, 2014-2019
Rhode Island Society of the Cincinnati
Historian, 2016-present
Rhode Island Society of Colonial Wars
Historian, 2016-present
Rhode Island Sons of the Revolution
Historian, 2017-present
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