Sea Power in its Relations to the War of 1812, Volume 2 (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914) was a historian and U.S. naval officer.  A veteran of the Civil War, Mahan championed the idea that sea power—military and commercial—determines the fate of nations:  an idea that remains potent today.  He is best known for The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783 (1890).