The Gardiner Chair of Oceanic History and Affairs was established at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1948. The chair is named in honor of William Howard Gardiner (died, New York City, 21 June 1952), a publicist and advocate of the importance of sea power, who had been President of the

United States Navy League The Navy League of the United States, commonly referred to as the Navy League, is a national association with nearly 50,000 members who advocate for a strong, credible United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Coast Guard and ...

from 1928 to 1933. In this position, Gardiner played an important role in ending the policy of

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

's administration for a "holiday" in naval construction. During World War II, Gardiner served as a consultant to President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

and to the State Department on global policy. In 1918, Gardiner married Mary Ruth McBurney, who shared her husband's interest in naval affairs. On her death in 1947, she left more than $250,000 to

to endow the Gardiner Chair in Oceanic History and Affairs. In her will, she specified that the endowment was to be used for the study and teaching of the geography and history of the sea and of the ships that sail on or above it, "particularly as they have affected or may affect the security and progress of the United States in view of the mid-oceanic and insular position of North America relative to other lands."

List of the Gardiner Professors of Oceanic History

*1948-1965 Robert G. Albion *1965-1982 J. H. Parry *1982-2001 in abeyance *2001–present

Sugata Bose Sugata Bose (born 7 September 1956) is an Indian historian and politician who has taught and worked in the United States since the mid-1980s. His fields of study are South Asian and Indian Ocean history. Bose taught at Tufts University until 2 ...

References

*"In Memoriam: William Howard Gardiner", ''Now Hear This'', vol. III, No. 5, (June 1952), p. 1. {{DEFAULTSORT:Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs, Gardiner Oceanic History and Affairs, Gardiner * Oceanic History and Affairs, Gardiner 1948 establishments in Massachusetts American historians