Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime History
Encyclopedia
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 history of maritime affairs. Mrs. Cora Mallory Munson, widow of Frank C. Munson endowed the Institute, named in memory of her husband, who had been president of the Munson Steamship Line and a major figure in the American shipping industry in the first and second World Wars. The curator of Mystic Seaport
, Edouard A. Stackpole
, originated the idea for the institute and turned to Professor Robert G. Albion
, Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs
at Harvard University
to join with him in creating the Institute and to serve as its first director.
Since its founding, the Munson Institute has been the leading, and often the sole, center for the teaching of maritime history in the United States. Its faculty has included the leading maritime historians in the United States. In 1996, 2006, and 2012, the National Endowment for the Humanities
awarded it grants to run summer institutes to teach maritime history to college and university faculty members in a national effort to further develop this field. In 1998, the Munson Institute's faculty produced the first wide ranging maritime history of the United States, America and The Sea: A Maritime History.
The Institute annually awards the Hardin Craig Memorial Prize for academic excellence.
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...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, 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 history of maritime affairs. Mrs. Cora Mallory Munson, widow of Frank C. Munson endowed the Institute, named in memory of her husband, who had been president of the Munson Steamship Line and a major figure in the American shipping industry in the first and second World Wars. The curator of 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...
, Edouard A. Stackpole
Edouard A. Stackpole
Edouard A. Stackpole was an American author and descendant of a family of whalers. Born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, he graduated from Roxbury Latin School in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. He worked for several years as a printer, reporter and editor at newspapers in Nantucket.Stackpole was...
, originated the idea for the institute and turned to Professor Robert G. Albion
Robert G. Albion
Robert G. Albion was Harvard's first professor of Oceanic History and inspired two generations of maritime historians in the United States...
, 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...
to join with him in creating the Institute and to serve as its first director.
Since its founding, the Munson Institute has been the leading, and often the sole, center for the teaching of maritime history in the United States. Its faculty has included the leading maritime historians in the United States. In 1996, 2006, and 2012, the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
awarded it grants to run summer institutes to teach maritime history to college and university faculty members in a national effort to further develop this field. In 1998, the Munson Institute's faculty produced the first wide ranging maritime history of the United States, America and The Sea: A Maritime History.
The Institute annually awards the Hardin Craig Memorial Prize for academic excellence.
Directors
- 1955 - 1974 Professor Robert G. AlbionRobert G. AlbionRobert G. Albion was Harvard's first professor of Oceanic History and inspired two generations of maritime historians in the United States...
- 1974 - 1996 Professor Benjamin Woods LabareeBenjamin Woods LabareeBenjamin Woods Labaree is a leading historian of American colonial history and American maritime history. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut.-Early life and education:...
- 1996 - 2001 Professor John HattendorfJohn HattendorfJohn Brewster Hattendorf is an American naval historian. He is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of more than forty books on British and American maritime history and naval warfare. In 2005, the U.S...
- 2001 - Pres. Dr. Eric Roorda and Dr. Glenn Gordinier