Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914) was an American naval officer and esteemed naval theorist who served a historic role in defining the U.S. Navy as a significant geopolitical force during the end of the nineteenth century. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1859, served in the Civil War, and was promoted the rank of rear admiral in 1906. ... Read more Professor John B. Hattendorf has served as the Ernest J. King Professor of Maritime History at the U.S. Naval War College since 1984 and director of the Naval War College Museum since 2003. A former naval officer with degrees from Kenyon, USA, Brown, USA, and Oxford, UK, he is the author or editor of more than 40 books and numerous articles in the field of maritime history and naval strategy. Show Less