Naval History and Heritage Command

Finding aid (PDF)

Biography

Dr. Michael J. Crawford joined the Naval Historical Center in 1982 specifically to work on the book Naval Documents of the American Revolution Volume 9.  From 1990 to 2008 he served as head of the Early History Branch. In 2008 the Naval Historical Center became the Naval History and Heritage Command and Dr. Crawford became Senior Historian, a post he held until his retirement in 2017. In addition to the role of Senior Historian, Dr. Crawford also served as Head of the Reference Branch and Deputy Director of Histories and Archives Division.

During his 35-year tenure with the Naval History and Heritage Command, Dr. Crawford wrote or co-authored 17 books including Against All Odds: U.S. Sailors in the War of 1812 (2004), Naval Documents of the American Revolution Volumes 9-12 (1964-2015), The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History (1985-2002), The Reestablishment of the Navy, 1787-1801: Historical Overview and Select Bibliography (1995), The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet: Honoring 100 Years of Global Partnerships and Security (2008), and The Spanish-American War: Historical Overview and Select Bibliography (1998). He also wrote or assisted with 60 other items including book reviews, articles and encyclopedia chapters. In addition to his 40+ public appearances, such as teaching events and interviews, he participated in over 30 panels and discussions on naval history, including the Needs and Opportunities Speaker Series and Naval History Workshop. Dr. Crawford also joined, and at times took a leadership role in, organizations such as the American Historical Association, Society for History in the Federal Government, and Society for Military History. In 2017, Dr. Crawford retired from his distinguished career with the Naval History and Heritage Command.

Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of the records of Dr. Michael J. Crawford, Senior Historian at the Naval History and Heritage Command, and includes project files, organizational files containing administrative papers relating to policies and planning documents, conference planning files, contact lists for associated historians, files associated with reference policy and researcher information, historic research for upcoming projects, and digital media files associated with various projects. The majority of records relate to various projects that Dr. Crawford worked on, including, but not limited to, Interpreting Old Ironsides: An Illustrated Guide to USS Constitution; Naval Documents of the American Revolution; Great White Fleet Commemoration, and the War of 1812 Commemoration.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as Papers of Michael J. Crawford, Archives Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.