The Richard W. Leopold Prize is awarded biennially by the Organization of American Historians (OAH). Professor Richard W. Leopold (1912–2006) was President of the OAH in 1976–1977.
A three-member committee, chosen by the President of the OAH, chooses the best history book on U.S. federal government agencies, U.S. foreign policies, U.S. military affairs, or biographies of government officials. Only non-academic historians are eligible for the Prize, preferably historians employed by federal government agencies. The winning author receives $1,500. In 1990, the prize went to two books. In 2002, the prize went to two books, one of which had two authors. In these years, the authors split the prize money. Last viewed 03/01/11.
In the listing below, the author links lead to the latest available biographical data. Unfortunately, few government employees have sites comparable to those sites in academia. The institutional affiliation listed is that at the time the awards was given, and the links are to those institutions. In both cases, “Wikipedia” sites, where available, were given preference.
Recipients YearWinnerAffiliationTitle1984J. Merton EnglandNo sites found. Last searched 03/01/11A Patron for Pure Science, The National Science Foundation's Formative Years, 1945-1957 1986 Steven L. ReardenHistory of the Office of the Secretary of Defense: The Formative Years, 1947-19501988 James Edward Miller The United States and Italy 1940-1950: The Politics and Diplomacy of Stabilization 1990Richard G. Hewlett co-author U.S. Department of EnergyAtoms for Peace and War 1953-1961: Eisenhower and the Atomic Energy Commission 1990Jack M. Holl co-author U.S. Department of EnergyAtoms for Peace and War 1953-1961: Eisenhower and the Atomic Energy Commission 1992 Donald A. RitchieU.S. SenatePress Gallery: Congress and the Washington Correspondents1994 Donald R. Baucom Last viewed 03/01/11Air Power Research Institute Last viewed 03/01/11. at Maxwell Air Force Base, AlabamaThe Origins of SDI, 1944-1983 1996 Barton C. HackerU.S. Department of EnergyElements of Controversy: The Atomic Energy Commission and Radiation Safety in Nuclear Weapons Testing, 1947-1974 1998 Andrew J. ButricaIndependent scholarTo See the Unseen: A History of Planetary Radar Astronomy 2000 William M. Hammond U.S. Army Center of Military HistoryReporting Vietnam: Media and Military at War 2002co-winner Dale Andradé co-author U.S. Army Center of Military History Indonesia, Spies and Commandos: How America Lost the Secret War in North Vietnam2002co-winnerKenneth Conboy, co-author Control Risks GroupIndonesia, Spies and Commandos: How America Lost the Secret War in North Vietnam 2002co-winnerGary E. Weir U.S. Naval Historical Center An Ocean in Common: American Naval Officers, Scientists, and the Ocean 2004 Peter S. Kindsvatter U.S. Army Ordnance Center and Schools, Aberdeen Proving Grounds American Soldiers: Ground Combat in the World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam 2006 Robert J. Schneller Jr. Last viewed 03/01/11 U.S. Naval Historical Center Breaking the Color Barrier: The U.S. Naval Academy's First Black Midshipmen and the Struggle for Racial Equality 2008 Michael J. Neufeld National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War2010 J. Samuel Walker U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission The Road to Yucca Mountain: The Development of Radioactive Waste Policy in the United States 2012William A. DobakThe United States Army Center of Military History (retired)Freedom by the Sword: The U.S. Colored Troops, 1862–18672014Sarah C. PaineUS Naval War CollegeThe Wars for Asia, 1911–19492016Jacqueline E. WhittAir War CollegeBringing God to Men: American Military Chaplains and the Vietnam War2018Richard S. FaulknerU.S. Army Command and General Staff CollegePershing’s Crusaders: The American Soldier in World War I2020Anand TopraniU.S. Naval War CollegeOil and the Great Powers: Britain and Germany, 1914–19452022Christian Friedrich OstermannWoodrow Wilson CenterBetween Containment and Rollback: The United States and the Cold War in Germany2024John H. Sprinkle Jr.University of MarylandHeritage Conservation in the United States: Enhancing the Presence of the Past2026Thomas M. JamisonNaval Postgraduate SchoolThe Pacific’s New Navies: An Ocean, Its Wars, and the Making of U.S. Sea Power
See also
List of history awards
References
External links OAH