Robert G. Albion
Encyclopedia
Robert G. Albion was Harvard's first professor of Oceanic History and inspired two generations of maritime historians in the United States. Highly respected, he was often referred to as the 'dean of American maritime historians.'
, Albion became interested in journalism and shipping while studying economics at Bowdoin College
, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1918. After serving as a second lieutenant in the Army Infantry at the end of World War One, he became a graduate at Harvard University
. He received his Master's degree in 1920 and completed his doctorate in British history in 1924 with a dissertation on Forests and Sea Power: The Timber Problem of the Royal Navy. Published in 1926, this work was a highly influential study that combined his interests in ships, British history, and economics.
as an instructor of British history in 1922 and he taught a popular course in maritime history, rising to be professor of history and assistant dean of the faculty. In 1923, he married Jennie Barnes Pope, who collaborated with him on several works. After writing several works on military history, he returned to maritime history with The Rise of New York Port, 1815-1860 and Square Riggers on Schedule.
From 1943 to 1950, he was Assistant Director of Naval History and Historian of Naval Administration for the Department of the Navy. In this position, he oversaw the work of some 150 naval officers, who wrote about 200 studies on the navy's wartime administration. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman
awarded him the Presidential Medal for Merit
for his work in naval history. Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal personally encouraged Albion to study the history of the formulation of American naval policy. As a result of this, Albion eventually published two important works: Forrestal and the Navy and Makers of Naval Policy, 1798-1947. The latter proved to be very controversial within the Navy and was long delayed in publication.
In 1948, he was appointed the first Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs
at Harvard University
. He held that position from 1949 to 1963, teaching a very popular undergraduate course that was known as 'Boats.' In 1955, Albion founded and was the first director of the Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime History
at Mystic Seaport
, a summer graduate program in which he trained and inspired many of the nation's leading maritime historians, regularly teaching there for twenty years until retiring in 1975. Albion also served as vice president of the Naval Historical Foundation, and as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Economic History and the American Neptune. Late in his career he also taught at the University of Maine
.
Albion was a pioneer in the use of television for distance education. He lectured afloat for the Harvard Polaris Program and served as a visiting professor at a number of universities between 1964 and 1972.
Education
Raised in South Portland, MaineSouth Portland, Maine
South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state. Founded in 1895, as of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of...
, Albion became interested in journalism and shipping while studying economics at Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1918. After serving as a second lieutenant in the Army Infantry at the end of World War One, he became a graduate at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He received his Master's degree in 1920 and completed his doctorate in British history in 1924 with a dissertation on Forests and Sea Power: The Timber Problem of the Royal Navy. Published in 1926, this work was a highly influential study that combined his interests in ships, British history, and economics.
Professional career
He began his teaching career at Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
as an instructor of British history in 1922 and he taught a popular course in maritime history, rising to be professor of history and assistant dean of the faculty. In 1923, he married Jennie Barnes Pope, who collaborated with him on several works. After writing several works on military history, he returned to maritime history with The Rise of New York Port, 1815-1860 and Square Riggers on Schedule.
From 1943 to 1950, he was Assistant Director of Naval History and Historian of Naval Administration for the Department of the Navy. In this position, he oversaw the work of some 150 naval officers, who wrote about 200 studies on the navy's wartime administration. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
awarded him the Presidential Medal for Merit
Presidential Medal for Merit
The Medal for Merit was, during the period it was awarded, the highest civilian decoration of the United States, awarded by the President of the United States to civilians for "exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services ... since the proclamation of an emergency by...
for his work in naval history. Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal personally encouraged Albion to study the history of the formulation of American naval policy. As a result of this, Albion eventually published two important works: Forrestal and the Navy and Makers of Naval Policy, 1798-1947. The latter proved to be very controversial within the Navy and was long delayed in publication.
In 1948, he was appointed the first Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs
Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs
The Gardiner Chair of Oceanic History and Affairs was established at Harvard University in 1948.The chair is named is named in honor of William Howard Gardiner , a publicist and advocate of the importance of sea power, who had been President of the United States Navy League from 1928 to 1933...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He held that position from 1949 to 1963, teaching a very popular undergraduate course that was known as 'Boats.' In 1955, Albion founded and was the first director of the Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime History
Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime History
The Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime History was established at Mystic Seaport, Connecticut, in 1955 to provide graduate-level summer courses in maritime history. The name was later changed to the Munson Institute of Maritime Studies, to include literature and other aspects in the...
at Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport, the Museum of America and the Sea, in Mystic, Connecticut, is notable both for its collection of sailing ships and boats, and for the re-creation of crafts and fabric of an entire 19th century seafaring village...
, a summer graduate program in which he trained and inspired many of the nation's leading maritime historians, regularly teaching there for twenty years until retiring in 1975. Albion also served as vice president of the Naval Historical Foundation, and as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Economic History and the American Neptune. Late in his career he also taught at the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
.
Albion was a pioneer in the use of television for distance education. He lectured afloat for the Harvard Polaris Program and served as a visiting professor at a number of universities between 1964 and 1972.
Published works
- Forests and Seapower (1926, 1965, 2000)
- Introduction to military history (1929, 1971)
- Brief biographies in American history, with Jennie Barnes Pope (1930)
- Brief biographies in modern history, by Jennie B. Pope, Helen B. Clark [and] Robert G. Albion. (1930)
- Brief biographies in ancient history, by Jennie B. Pope, M.A., Robert G. Albion, PH.D., Helen B. Clark, M.A. (1931)
- Brief biographies in medieval and early modern history, by Jennie B. Pope, M.A., Robert G. Albion, PH. D., and Helen C. Clark, M.A. (1931)
- Visualized early European history, by J.B. Pope ... edited by Robert G. Albion (1936)
- A history of England and the British Empire, by Walter Phelps Hall and Robert Greenhalgh Albion, with the collaboration of Jennie Barnes Pope. (1937, 1946, 1971, 1984)
- Square-Riggers on Schedule (1938, 1965)
- The Rise of New York Port, 1815-1860, with the collaboration of Jennie Barnes Pope (1939, 1961, 1970, 1984)
- Sea lanes in wartime: the American experience, 1775-1942, by Robert Greenhalgh Albion and Jennie Barnes Pope (1942, 1968)
- Seaports South of the Sahara: the achievements of an American steamship service. With the collaboration of Jennie B. Pope (1959)
- Forrestal and the Navy, by Robert Greenhalgh Albion and Robert Howe Connery; with the collaboration of Jennie Barnes Pope, foreword by William T.R. Fox.
- Exploration and discovery, edited by Robert G. Albion (1965)
- Maritime and Naval History: An Annotated Bibliography 4th edition (1972)
- New England and the sea, by Robert G. Albion, William A. BakerWilliam A. BakerWilliam Avery Baker was a distinguished naval architect of replica historic ships and a maritime historian, who was curator of the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Museum at Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1963-1981.-Early life and education:The son of William Elisha Baker and his wife Margaret...
[and] Benjamin W. Labaree. Marion V. Brewington, picture editor. (1972) - The Atlantic world of Robert G. Albion, edited by Benjamin W. Labaree and a bibliography of the works of Robert G. Albion by Joan Bentinck-Smith; drawings by William A. BakerWilliam A. BakerWilliam Avery Baker was a distinguished naval architect of replica historic ships and a maritime historian, who was curator of the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Museum at Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1963-1981.-Early life and education:The son of William Elisha Baker and his wife Margaret...
(1975) - Five centuries of famous ships: from the Santa Maria to the Glomar Explorer, with a foreword by Benjamin Labaree (1978)
- The Makers of Naval Policy, 1798-1947, edited by Rowena Reed (1980)
- A supplement (1971-1986) to Robert G. Albion’s Naval & maritime history, an annotated bibliography, fourth edition, by Benjamin W. Labaree (1988)