What is Alfred Thayer Mahan best remembered for in the United States of America?

Alfred Thayer Mahan (September 27, 1840 – December 1, 1914) was a United States naval officer (who attained the rank of rear admiral) and historian, whom John Keegan, a military historian, called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century."

His book 'The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660–1783' (1890) won immediate recognition, especially in Europe, and with its successor, 'The Influence of Sea Power Upon the French Revolution and Empire, 1793–1812' (1892), made him world-famous and perhaps the most influential American author of the nineteenth century.

The Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement is awarded each year by the Navy League of the United States. Presented since 1957, "this award for literary achievement is awarded to a U.S. Navy officer, U.S. Marine Corps officer, enlisted service member, or civilian who has made a notable literary contribution that has advanced the knowledge of the importance of sea power in the United States."

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dmarkc

Went to the Naval Academy, ironically born in West Point, NY.

Jas Newman

His influence extended well beyond the 19th century. His book, in the hands of Japanese naval strategists, led to the development of the WWII Japanese navy because the Japanese viewed their position in the Pacific offshore from the Euro-Asian landmass as similar to that of Britain in the Atlantic, offshore from the opposite end of the landmass.