Mahan (ma-han'), Alfred Thayer. An American naval officer and writer. Born in West Point, NY, September 27, 1840. Was graduated at the United States Naval Academy in 1859. Served in the Civil War. Was president of the Naval War College, Newport, 1886-89 and 1892-93. Visited Europe in command of the "Chicago" in 1893, receiving many honors; among them, degrees from both Oxford and Cambridge. Mahan was retired at his own request, November 17, 1896. During the war with Spain, he was a member of the Naval Board of Strategy. In 1899, he was appointed by President McKinley as one of the American delegates to the Universal Peace Conference at The Hague. His chief work, "Influence of Sea Power Upon the French Revolution and Empire," gave Mahan a world-wide reputation. Died 1914.

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