Alfred Thayer Mahan

Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914), American naval officer and historian, born in West Point, New York, and educated at the United States Naval Academy. A Union naval officer during the American Civil War (1861-1865), Mahan served in the navy for nearly 40 years. He was promoted to the rank of captain in 1885.

In 1886, Mahan was invited to lecture at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He also served as president of the college from 1886 to 1889, and again in 1892 and 1893. His lectures were published under the title of The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783 (1890). The book received international recognition as a comprehensive exposition of naval strategy. Mahan stressed the important role of sea power in the world, and this idea had a profound influence on the policies of many nations, including the United States and Germany. In 1892, he published another major work, The Influence of Sea Power upon the French Revolution and Empire, 1793-1812. His other books include The Life of Nelson and The Interest of America in Sea Power, Present and Future (both 1897). He retired as rear admiral in 1896, but temporarily returned to the navy during the Spanish-American War (1898) to serve on the Naval War Board.