Harold D. Langley
Encyclopedia
Harold David Langley is an American diplomatic and naval historian who served as associate curator of naval history at the Smithsonian Institution
from 1969. As a naval historian, he was a pioneer in exploring American naval social and medical history.
. Following his military service, he attended Catholic University of America, where he earned his A.B.
in 1950. Going on for graduate work, he attended the University of Pennsylvania
, where he earned his M.A.
in 1951 and his Ph.D.
in 1960 with a dissertation on "The humanitarians and the United States Navy, 1798-1862."
, Manuscripts Division, in Washington, DC, where he served as a manuscripts assistant in 1951-52, while a graduiate student. Moving to the University of Pennsylvania
Libraries in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, where he was a graduate student, he served as a manuscripts specialist, rare book collection, 1952-54. Returning to the Library of Congress
in Washington, he was a manuscripts specialist, there in 1954-55. In 1955, Marywood College
in Scranton, PA, appointed him assistant professor of history in 1955. He remained there until 1957, when he received an appointment as a diplomatic historian in the U.S. Department of State. In 1964, Catholic University of America, appointed him associate professor in 1964-68 and was promoted to professor
in 1968-71. In 1969, the Smithsonian Institution
, Washington, DC appointed him associate curator of naval history, 1969. While holding that position, he was also an adjunct professor of American history at the Catholic University of America from 1971.
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
from 1969. As a naval historian, he was a pioneer in exploring American naval social and medical history.
Early life and education
The son of Walter Benedict Langley and Anna Mae McCaffrey, Harold Langley joined the U.S. Army at the age of eighteen and served from 1943 to 1946, receiving the Army Meritorious Service Medal and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign MedalAsiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was...
. Following his military service, he attended Catholic University of America, where he earned his A.B.
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...
in 1950. Going on for graduate work, he attended the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, where he earned 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 1951 and 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 1960 with a dissertation on "The humanitarians and the United States Navy, 1798-1862."
Professional career
Langley began his professional career at the Library of CongressLibrary of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, Manuscripts Division, in Washington, DC, where he served as a manuscripts assistant in 1951-52, while a graduiate student. Moving to the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
Libraries in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, where he was a graduate student, he served as a manuscripts specialist, rare book collection, 1952-54. Returning to the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
in Washington, he was a manuscripts specialist, there in 1954-55. In 1955, Marywood College
Marywood University
Marywood University is a selective, coeducational, Catholic liberal arts university located on a campus in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Established in 1915 by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and currently enrolls approximately 3,500 students on a national award-winning campus...
in Scranton, PA, appointed him assistant professor of history in 1955. He remained there until 1957, when he received an appointment as a diplomatic historian in the U.S. Department of State. In 1964, Catholic University of America, appointed him associate professor in 1964-68 and was promoted to 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...
in 1968-71. In 1969, the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, Washington, DC appointed him associate curator of naval history, 1969. While holding that position, he was also an adjunct professor of American history at the Catholic University of America from 1971.
Awards
- 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...
, 1995 in the category of science and technology. for History of Medicine in the Early U.S. Navy. - K. Jack Bauer Award of the North American Society for Oceanic HistoryNorth American Society for Oceanic HistoryThe North American Society for Oceanic History is the national organization in the United States of America for professional historians, underwater archeologists, archivists, librarians, museum specialists and others working in the broad field of maritime history...
, 2000. - The Samuel Eliot Morison Award of the USS Constitution MuseumUSS Constitution MuseumThe USS Constitution Museum "serves as the memory and educational voice of , by collecting, preserving, and interpreting the stories of "Old Ironsides" and the people associated with her."...
, 2001.
Published works
- (Editor with others) Documents on GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 1944-59, (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1959). - (Editor with others) Documents on DisarmamentDisarmamentDisarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear arms...
, 1960, (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1961). - (Compiler and co-editor) Documents on International Aspects of the Exploration and Use of Outer SpaceOuter spaceOuter space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
, 1954–1962, (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1963.) - Social Reform in the United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, 1798-1862, (Champaign-Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1967). - St. Stephen Martyr Roman Catholic Church and Community, 1867-1967. (Washington, DC: St. Stephen Martyr Centennial Committee, 1968).
- To UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
with the Dragoons and glimpses of life in ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 1858-1859 edited by Harold D. Langley. (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, c1974). - (Editor with Francis Loewenheim) RooseveltFranklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
and ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
: Their Secret Wartime Correspondence. (New York: Saturday Review Press, 1975). - (Editor) So Proudly We Hail: The History of the United States Flag. (Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1981).
- A History of MedicineMedicineMedicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
in the Early U.S. Navy. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995).
Reviews
Langley's examination of the early practice of naval medicine contains some enlightening and shocking revelations. Foremost is the ponderous movement of bureaucracies, most notably the Navy Department, which could not produce a decision on the means to provide care and treatment for wounded and infirm sailors.
Sources
- Contemporary Authors