Craig L. Symonds Wins the Eleventh Annual Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize
AWARD PROGRAM TO TAKE PLACE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2024
New York, NY, October 31, 2024 – The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History announced today that Craig L. Symonds has been awarded the eleventh annual Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize for Nimitz at War: Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay (Oxford University Press). The $50,000 prize is bestowed in recognition of the best eligible English-language book in the field of American military history, distinguished by its scholarship, its contribution to the literature, and its appeal to the broadest possible general reading public.
An event celebrating the winner and the two shortlisted authors will take place on Wednesday, December 4, hosted by The New York Historical, the first museum in New York. Tickets to attend this free program—in person or via livestream—are available online.
Finalists for this year’s prize were chosen by a three-member jury chaired by Lorien Foote, the Patricia & Bookman Peters Professor of History at Texas A&M University and the author of four books on military history. She was joined by Colonel (Retired) Kevin J. Weddle, PhD, Distinguished Fellow, United States Army War College, and Michael S. Neiberg, Professor of History and Chair of War Studies at the United States Army War College.
The final choice was made by the prize board: James G. Basker, President and CEO of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History; Lieutenant General (Retired) Michelle D. Johnson; Robert H. Niehaus; and Griff Norquist.
“Symonds’ biography offers a fresh and engaging perspective on the Pacific Theater of World War II,” said James G. Basker. “Nimitz at War is a crowning achievement from one of the nation’s premier military historians.”
In her report to the prize board, jury chair Lorien Foote wrote, “Well-written and engaging, [Nimitz at War] gives scholars their first full portrait of Nimitz in over fifty years, and general readers an easy-to-understand overview of the leadership qualities and bold decisions of the commander vital to U.S. success in the Pacific.”
“I am hugely honored to join the list of fine historians who have received this award, and I am grateful to the Gilder Lehrman Institute for its commitment to student-centered programs about American history, and for co-sponsoring this annual event in partnership with The New York Historical to help ensure that military history continues to attract both thoughtful consideration and the attention of the American public.” said Craig L. Symonds.
Craig L. Symonds is professor emeritus at the United States Naval Academy, where he taught naval history for thirty years, including four years as History Department chair. He also taught at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, England. From 2017 to 2020 he was the Ernest J. King Distinguished Professor of Maritime History at the U.S. Naval War College. He is the author of seventeen books, including Lincoln and His Admirals: Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. Navy, and the Civil War, for which he was awarded the 2009 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize. He has also received the Roosevelt Prize and the Dudley Knox Medal for Lifetime Achievement.
The purpose of the Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize is to draw public attention to military history not only as an important staple of education in the areas of international relations, diplomacy, and conflict studies, but also as a subject in which any educated citizen should be interested. The study of the steps to war, conduct of military campaigns, and diplomatic responses to war can play an essential role in the quest for a more peaceable future.
There were 102 books submitted for consideration by publishers in the United States and the United Kingdom for the eleventh annual Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize. Three finalists were chosen from this pool, including Brooke L. Blower for Americans in a World at War: Intimate Histories from the Crash of Pan Am’s Yankee Clipper (Oxford University Press) and Kevin M. Hymel for Patton’s War: An American General’s Combat Leadership, Volume 2: August–December 1944 (University of Missouri Press).
The inaugural prize for 2013 was awarded to Allen Guelzo for Gettysburg: The Last Invasion (Knopf). Other recipients include Peter Cozzens for The Earth Is Weeping: The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West (Knopf), John C. McManus for Fire and Fortitude: The US Army in the Pacific War, 1941–1943 (Dutton Caliber), Kevin J. Weddle for The Compleat Victory: Saratoga and the American Revolution (Oxford University Press), and most recently, Bruce Henderson for Bridge to the Sun: The Secret Role of the Japanese Americans Who Fought in the Pacific in World War II (Knopf).
Funding for the prize is provided by Lewis E. Lehrman, co-founder of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, author, and champion of studies in American political and military history.
About the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (GLI) was founded in 1994 by Lewis E. Lehrman and the late Richard Gilder, visionaries and lifelong supporters of American history education. The Institute is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to K–12 history education while also serving the general public. Its mission is to promote the knowledge and understanding of American history through educational programs and resources, at the core of which is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history, with more than 86,000 primary source documents. Learn more at gilderlehrman.org and follow GLI on Facebook , Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).
About The New York Historical
New York’s first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution covering over 400 years of American history. Our offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; peerless collections of art, documents, and artifacts; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women’s History, the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. We elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States’ democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better. Connect with us at nyhistory.org or at @nyhistory on Facebook, Twitter , Instagram, TikTok , YouTube, and Tumblr .
PRESS CONTACTS
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Josh Landon
landon@gilderlehrman.org
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The New York Historical
Marybeth Ihle
marybeth.ihle@nyhistory.org