born July 9, 1887, Boston, Mass., U.S.
died May 15, 1976, Boston
U.S. biographer and historian.
He taught at Harvard University for 40 years. To give authenticity to his writings on maritime history, he undertook numerous voyages and during wartime served on 12 ships as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve. His works include Admiral of the Ocean Sea (1942, Pulitzer Prize), on Christopher Columbus ; John Paul Jones (1959, Pulitzer Prize); the monumental History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II , 15 vol. (1947–62); and The Oxford History of the American People (1965).