American naval historian (1965–2021)
Hornfischer at the 2016 Texas Book Festival
James D. Hornfischer (November 18, 1965 – June 2, 2021[ 1] ) was an American literary agent , author , and naval historian .
A one-time book editor at the publishing company HarperCollins in New York, Hornfischer was later president of Hornfischer Literary Management, a literary agency in Austin, Texas .
Early life
Hornfischer was born in Salem, Massachusetts . He was a 1987 graduate of Colgate University , where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated with high honors in German . He received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 2001.
Professional background
Hornfischer, a non-practicing member of the State Bar of Texas , was president of Hornfischer Literary Management, a literary agency in Austin, Texas, that represents authors of nonfiction books in a variety of subject areas, including current affairs, history, politics, biography, business, and popular science, among others. Clients include David Bellavia , James Bradley , HW Brands , Fred Burton , Susannah Charleson , Kim Cross , Steve Forbes , George Friedman , William H. Goetzmann , Don Graham , James L. Haley , Woody Holton , Annie Jacobsen , Alex Kershaw , Governor Rick Perry , Ron Powers , Roy Spence , Mark K. Updegrove , and others. He was a member of the Authors Guild and the Texas Institute of Letters , and served on the advisory board of the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference , sponsored by the Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas . He has written for Smithsonian , The Wall Street Journal , and other periodicals. He was a board member of the Naval Historical Foundation .
On 18 May 2021, he was awarded the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award by the Director of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), RADM, USN-Ret, Samuel J Cox.[ 2]
On 2 June 2021, he died from glioblastoma [ 3] in Austin, Texas, at age 55.[ 4]
Books
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors : The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour (Bantam hardcover, 2004; Bantam trade paperback, 2005) ISBN 0-553-80257-7
Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston, FDR's Legendary Lost Cruiser and the Epic Saga of Her Survivors (Bantam hardcover, 2006; Bantam trade paperback, 2007). ISBN 0-553-80390-5
Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal (Bantam hardcover, 2011). ISBN 978-0-553-80670-0
Service: A Navy SEAL at War with Marcus Luttrell (Little Brown hardcover, 2012). ISBN 978-0-316-18536-3
The Fleet at Flood Tide: America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944–1945 (Bantam hardcover, October 25, 2016). ISBN 978-0-345-54870-2
Who Can Hold the Sea: The U.S. Navy in the Cold War 1945–1960 (Bantam hardcover, May 3, 2022) ISBN 978-0399178641
Awards
References
^ "James Hornfischer Obituary - Austin, TX" . Dignity Memorial . Retrieved 2021-06-03 .
^ a b Lutz, Abigayle (18 May 2021). "Naval Historian Receives Distinguished Public Service Award" . Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 2 June 2021 .
^ Bruning, John R. (24 June 2021). "Two Lost Voices" . theamericanwarrior.com . Retrieved 16 September 2022 .
^ "James D. Hornfischer, 1965–2021: Obituary" . Austin American-Statesman . June 8, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021 – via Legacy.com.
^ "Latest NOUS Awards" . Naval Order of the United States . Archived from the original on 2017-06-03. Retrieved December 23, 2017 .
^ "Previous Morison Book Awards" . Naval Order of the United States , New York Commandery. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2017 .
External links