Against the better judgment of his father, Mahan then entered the Naval Academy, where he graduated second in his class in 1859. He then studied at Columbia for two years, where he was a member of the Philolexian Society debating club. Mahan attended Saint James School, an Episcopal college preparatory academy in western Maryland. Mahan's middle name honors "the father of West Point", Sylvanus Thayer. Alfred Thayer Mahan (SeptemDecember 1, 1914) was a United States naval officer and historian, whom John Keegan called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century."His book the The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783 (1890) won immediate recognition, especially in Europe, and with its successor, The Influence of Sea Power Upon the French Revolution and Empire, 1793-1812 (1892), made him world famous and perhaps the most influential American author of the nineteenth century.Mahan was born on September 27, 1840, at West Point, New York, to Dennis Hart Mahan (a professor at the United States Military Academy) and Mary Helena Okill Mahan (27 February 1815 - 8 March 1893), daughter of John Okill and Mary Jay (daughter of Sir James Jay).
#ALFRED THAYER MAHAN BORN IN SERIES#
The book then goes on to describe a series of European and American wars and how naval power was used in each. Mahan also promotes the belief that any army would succumb to a strong naval blockade. He identifies such features as geography, population, and government, and expands the definition of sea power as comprising a strong navy and commercial fleet. Mahan began the book with an examination of what factors lead to a supremacy of the seas, especially how Great Britain was able to rise to its near dominance. Its policies were quickly adopted by most major navies, ultimately leading to the World War I naval arms race.Mahan formulated his concept of sea power while reading a history book in Lima, Peru.The book was published by Mahan while president of the US Naval War College, and was a culmination of his ideas regarding naval warfare. Scholars consider it the single most influential book in naval strategy. It details the role of sea power during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and discusses the various factors needed to support and achieve sea power, with emphasis on having the largest and most powerful fleet. On the other hand, the books he wrote ashore made him arguably the most influential naval historian of the period.The Influence of Sea Power Upon History: 1660-1783 is a history of naval warfare published in 1890 by Alfred Thayer Mahan. He had an affection for old square-rigged vessels, and did not like smoky, noisy steamships of his time he tried to avoid active sea duty. As commander of the USS Wachusett he was stationed at Callao, Peru, protecting American interests during the final stages of the War of the Pacific.ĭespite his professed success in the Navy, his skills in actual command of a ship were not exemplary, and a number of vessels under his command were involved in collisions, with both moving and stationary objects. In 1865 he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander, and then to Commander (1872), and Captain (1885). He then studied at Columbia for two years where he was a member of the Philolexian Society debating club and then, against his parents' wishes, transferred to the Naval Academy, where he graduated second in his class in 1859.Ĭommissioned as a Lieutenant in 1861, Mahan served the Union in the American Civil War as an officer on USS Worcester, Congress, Pocahontas, and James Adger, and as an instructor at the Naval Academy.
He attended Saint James School, an Episcopal college preparatory academy in western Maryland. His book, the influence of sea power upon history made him world famous and perhaps the most influential American author of the 19th century. The first Mahan was a First World War-era destroyer (DD-102) that served from 1918-1930 in the Atlantic and Caribbean. Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan was a United States Naval officer and historian who is referred to as the most important American strategist of the 19 th century. His middle name, Thayer, is after "the father of West Point", Sylvanus Thayer. Navy has named four ships after Alfred Thayer Mahan. Alfred Thayer Mahan was born in West Point, New York, to Dennis Hart Mahan (a professor at the United States Military Academy) and Mary Helena Mahan.
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