William J. Morgan (historian)
Encyclopedia
William James Morgan was Senior Historian at the U.S. Naval Historical Center
and editor of Naval Documents of the American Revolution.
with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1938 and then obtained his Master of Arts degree from Columbia University
in 1940. He served as an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War II. Returning from World War II, he taught high school in California between 1946 and 1949, and then taught history at Los Angeles Valley College
for a year before being recalled to active duty during the Korean War, reaching the rank of Commander. He had begun his graduate work at the University of Southern California
, but this was interrupted by his recall to active duty for the Korean War. He completed his Ph.D. in history in 1956. He married Arline Hanlon in 1941, with whom he had three sons.
in 1952, when it was the Naval History Division of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (Op-09B9), Navy Department, serving under the successive Directors of Naval History, Rear Admiral John B. Heffernan, Rear Admiral Ernest M. Eller
, Vice Admiral Edwin B. Hooper, Rear Admiral John D. H. Kane. Initially assigned as a naval officer, Morgan remained there for thirty years, serving as Head, Research Branch, from 1954 to 1982 and appointed additionally as Senior Historian, before he retired in March 1982.
In 1952, he became interested in the officers who had served in the Continental Navy and this led to the publication of his doctoral thesis in 1956 and his first book in 1959, Captains to the Northward. As he was working on this he came into contact with the manuscript collector and historian William Bell Clark
and with Rear Admiral Ernest M. Eller
, played a major role in undertaking the Naval Documents of the American Revolution project. Beginning about 1956, Morgan was the professional historian and master documentary editor who implemented the project under Clark's editorship. On Clark's death in 1970, Morgan succeeded him as editor, completing the first nine volumes by the time of his retirement in 1982. He died at Silver Spring, Maryland
.
awarded him its highest decoration for civilian service in 1982: the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award
. In 1996, the North American Society for Oceanic History
(NASOH) awarded him its K. Jack Bauer Award for distinguished service to NASOH and for lifetime achievement in the field of maritime history.
Naval Historical Center
The Naval History & Heritage Command is the official history program of the United States Navy and is located at the historic Washington Navy Yard in the District of Columbia.-Mission :...
and editor of Naval Documents of the American Revolution.
Early life and education
Morgan graduated from Fordham UniversityFordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1938 and then obtained his Master of Arts degree from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1940. He served as an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War II. Returning from World War II, he taught high school in California between 1946 and 1949, and then taught history at Los Angeles Valley College
Los Angeles Valley College
Los Angeles Valley College is a community college located in the Valley Glen district of Los Angeles, California in the east-central San Fernando Valley. The school is a part of the Los Angeles Community College District....
for a year before being recalled to active duty during the Korean War, reaching the rank of Commander. He had begun his graduate work at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, but this was interrupted by his recall to active duty for the Korean War. He completed his Ph.D. in history in 1956. He married Arline Hanlon in 1941, with whom he had three sons.
Professional career
Morgan joined the Naval Historical CenterNaval Historical Center
The Naval History & Heritage Command is the official history program of the United States Navy and is located at the historic Washington Navy Yard in the District of Columbia.-Mission :...
in 1952, when it was the Naval History Division of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (Op-09B9), Navy Department, serving under the successive Directors of Naval History, Rear Admiral John B. Heffernan, Rear Admiral Ernest M. Eller
Ernest M. Eller
Ernest McNeill Eller was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, who served as Director of Naval History, Naval History Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations from 1956 to 1970.-Early Life and education:...
, Vice Admiral Edwin B. Hooper, Rear Admiral John D. H. Kane. Initially assigned as a naval officer, Morgan remained there for thirty years, serving as Head, Research Branch, from 1954 to 1982 and appointed additionally as Senior Historian, before he retired in March 1982.
In 1952, he became interested in the officers who had served in the Continental Navy and this led to the publication of his doctoral thesis in 1956 and his first book in 1959, Captains to the Northward. As he was working on this he came into contact with the manuscript collector and historian William Bell Clark
William Bell Clark
William Bell Clark was an advertising executive and self-taught naval historian, specializing in the period of the American Revolution, 1775-1783.-Early life and education:...
and with Rear Admiral Ernest M. Eller
Ernest M. Eller
Ernest McNeill Eller was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, who served as Director of Naval History, Naval History Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations from 1956 to 1970.-Early Life and education:...
, played a major role in undertaking the Naval Documents of the American Revolution project. Beginning about 1956, Morgan was the professional historian and master documentary editor who implemented the project under Clark's editorship. On Clark's death in 1970, Morgan succeeded him as editor, completing the first nine volumes by the time of his retirement in 1982. He died at Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
.
Awards
In recognition of his service to naval history, the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The 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...
awarded him its highest decoration for civilian service in 1982: the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award
Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award
The Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award is the highest honorary award the Secretary of the Navy can confer on a Department of the Navy civilian employee. The Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award will be granted only to those employees who have given distinguished or extraordinary service...
. In 1996, the North American Society for Oceanic History
North American Society for Oceanic History
The 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...
(NASOH) awarded him its K. Jack Bauer Award for distinguished service to NASOH and for lifetime achievement in the field of maritime history.
Published works
- Captains to the northward; the New England captains in the Continental Navy (1959)
- Naval Chronology of World War II
- Civil War Naval Chronology, 1861-1865. compiled by the Naval History Division (6 volumes 1961-65; 1 volume, 1971, 1992)
- Naval Documents of the American Revolution (volumes 1 through 9, 1964–1984)
- Autobiography of Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes, U.S. Navy, 1798-1877, edited by William J. Morgan, et al. (1978)
- The Pivot Upon Which Everything Turned: French Naval Superiority That Ensured Victory At Yorktown. Washington, DC: Naval Historical FoundationNaval Historical FoundationThe Naval Historical Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1926, has a broad mission to preserve and promote the naval history of the United States by supporting official Sea Services programs and institutions, meeting the needs of the public for naval history, and collecting historical...
, 1981.