Craig Symonds
Encyclopedia
Craig Lee Symonds is a retired professor and chairman of the history department at the United States Naval Academy
. He is a distinguished historian of the American Civil War.
, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1967. Going on to graduate work, he obtained his M.A.
in history at the University of Florida
in 1969 with a thesis on "The defense of the southwestern frontier, 1784-1794: a study in governmental relations." He married Marylou Hayden on 17 January 1969 and the couple had one son. In 1971, Symonds joined the United States Naval Reserve, serving for three years until 1974 and raising to the grade of Lieutenant
. While in the Navy, he served on the staff and faculty of the Naval War College
. On his release from active duty, he returned to his graduate studies in history at the University of Florida
, where he obtained his Ph.D.
in 1976 under the tutelage of Professor John K. Mahon
with a dissertation on "Navalists and antinavalists: the naval policy debate in the United States, 1785-1827."
in Annapolis, Maryland
appointed Symonds assistant professor of history to succeed Professor E. B. Potter
as a specialist in Naval history
. He was subsequently promoted to associate professor in 1980 and professor
of history in 1985. He served as chairman of the history department in 1988-1992 and appointed professor emeritus on his retirement in 2005. In 1994-1995, he was visiting lecturer at Britannia Royal Naval College
in Dartmouth, England.
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
. He is a distinguished historian of the American Civil War.
Early life and education
The son of Lee and Virginia Symonds, Craig Symonds attended the University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1967. Going on to graduate work, he obtained his M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in history at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in 1969 with a thesis on "The defense of the southwestern frontier, 1784-1794: a study in governmental relations." He married Marylou Hayden on 17 January 1969 and the couple had one son. In 1971, Symonds joined the United States Naval Reserve, serving for three years until 1974 and raising to the grade of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. While in the Navy, he served on the staff and faculty of the Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
. On his release from active duty, he returned to his graduate studies in history at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, where he obtained his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1976 under the tutelage of Professor John K. Mahon
John K. Mahon
John K. Mahon .In 1954 Mahon accepted a teaching position in the history department at the University of Florida...
with a dissertation on "Navalists and antinavalists: the naval policy debate in the United States, 1785-1827."
Academic career
In 1976, the United States Naval AcademyUnited States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
appointed Symonds assistant professor of history to succeed Professor E. B. Potter
E. B. Potter
Elmer Belmont "Ned" Potter, , was an American historian and author. He was the leading naval historian at the United States Naval Academy from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s, and author/editor, in collaboration with Fleet Admiral Chester W...
as a specialist in Naval history
Naval history
Naval history is the area of military history concerning war at sea and the subject is also a sub-discipline of the broad field of maritime history....
. He was subsequently promoted to associate professor in 1980 and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of history in 1985. He served as chairman of the history department in 1988-1992 and appointed professor emeritus on his retirement in 2005. In 1994-1995, he was visiting lecturer at Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...
in Dartmouth, England.
Awards
- 1995 John Lyman Book AwardsJohn Lyman Book AwardsThe John Lyman Book Awards are given annually by the North American Society for Oceanic History for books published in six categories in the broad field of Maritime history:* Canadian naval and maritime history* U.S. naval history* U.S...
, for The Naval Institute Historical Atlas of the U.S. Navy, - 1999 John Lyman Book AwardsJohn Lyman Book AwardsThe John Lyman Book Awards are given annually by the North American Society for Oceanic History for books published in six categories in the broad field of Maritime history:* Canadian naval and maritime history* U.S. naval history* U.S...
, for Confederate Admiral: The Life and Wars of Franklin Buchanan. - 2009 John Lyman Book AwardsJohn Lyman Book AwardsThe John Lyman Book Awards are given annually by the North American Society for Oceanic History for books published in six categories in the broad field of Maritime history:* Canadian naval and maritime history* U.S. naval history* U.S...
, for Lincoln and His Admirals. - S.A. Cunningham Award, 1997, for Stonewall of the West: Patrick Cleburne and the Civil War.
- Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Prize in Naval HistoryTheodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Prize in Naval HistoryThe Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Prize in Naval History is an annual prize established in 1986 and given by The New York Council of the Navy League of the United States, the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, and the Theodore Roosevelt Association. It is given for the best book on...
, 2006, for Decision at Sea. - Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service AwardNavy Superior Civilian Service AwardThe Navy Superior Civilian Service Award is the highest honorary award the Chief of Naval Operations or the Commandant of the Marine Corps may bestow on a civilian employee in the Department of the Navy and the highest award granted at the major claimant level. This is the second highest honorary...
. - Benjamin Barondess Award of the Civil War RoundtableCivil War RoundtableCivil War Roundtables are a loosely organized group of independent organizations that share a common interest in the study, promotion, and recognition of the American Civil War...
of New York, 2009, for Lincoln and His Admirals. - Lincoln PrizeLincoln PrizeThe Lincoln Prize, endowed by Richard Gilder and Lewis Lehrman and administered by the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College, has been awarded annually since 1991 for the best non-fiction historical work of the year on the American Civil War. It is named for U.S...
, co-winner 2009, for Lincoln and His Admirals.
Published works
- Charleston Blockade: The Journals of John B. Marchand, USN, edited by Craig Symonds. (Newport, RI: Naval War College Press, 1976.
- Navalists and Antinavalists: The Naval Policy Debate in the United States, 1785-1827. (University of Delaware Press, 1980).
- New Aspects of Naval History, edited by Craig Symonds. (Annaplis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1981).
- A Battlefield Atlas of the Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. (Annapolis, MD: Nautical and Aviation Press, 1983). - A Battlefield Atlas of the American RevolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. (Annapolis, MD: Nautical and Aviation Press, 1986). (reprint 1991) - Gettysburg: A Battlefield Atlas, by Craig Symonds with William J. Clipson. (Annapolis, MD: Nautical and Aviation, 1992).
- Stonewall of the West: Patrick CleburnePatrick CleburnePatrick Ronayne Cleburne was an Irish American soldier, best known for his service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, where he rose to the rank of major general....
and the Civil War. (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1997). - Confederate Admiral: The Life and Wars of Franklin BuchananFranklin BuchananFranklin Buchanan was an officer in the United States Navy who became an admiral in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War, and commanded the ironclad CSS Virginia.-Early life:...
. (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1999). - New Interpretations in Naval History: Selected Papers from the Fourteenth Naval History Symposium, Held at Annapolis, Maryland, 23–25 September 1999, Naval Institute Press (Annapolis, MD), 2001.
External links
- "Craig L. Symonds", Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2009. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009.
- University of Florida Library
- United States Naval Academy Library