Mahan, Alfred Thayer

Mahan, Alfred Thayer məˈhæn (1840–1914) naval officer, author, and world-renowned theorist on history and strategy, born at West Point, New York. His The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783 (1890), as well as a two-volume sequel that dealt with the years 1793 to 1812, became a primer on international relations, the use of force, and the role of diplomacy, which Mahan believed should follow, not precede, battle. International relations, he argued, hinged on power projection, which was best exercised by gaining control of the seas. Though his theories and arguments have since been seen as flawed, there is little question about his significance as a naval historian and theoretician in the latter part of the 19th century. Mahan's early career was undistinguished. He saw only a few hours of combat during the Civil War and rose slowly through the ranks afterward. The change began with his appointment to the Naval War College (1885) to teach naval history and the subsequent publication of the first Influence book, a collection of his lecture notes. He resigned from the navy in 1895 to pursue his writing career full time. In all, Mahan published twenty-one books, as well as numerous magazine articles and letters to the editor.