Elmer Belmont Potter, more commonly
known as E. B. Potter, joined the Untied States Naval Academy faculty in 1941. He served on active Navy
duty in the Pacific during World War II, attaining the rank of commander. After the war, he returned to United States Naval
Academy as a member of the civilian faculty. During his 37 year career as a professor at the United States
Naval Academy, he E. B. Potter served as Chairman of the Academy's History Department for 20 years. In
1977 he was named Professor Emeritus by the Secretary of the Navy. E.B. Potter died in 1997. E. B. Potter was the author of Nimitz;
Bull Halsey; Admiral Arleigh Burke A Biography; The Naval Academy Illustrated History of the United States Navy; The United
States and Sea Power; and Sea Power: A Naval History. E. B. Potter was also an editor of
The Great Sea War: The Story of Naval Action in World War II; Triumph in the Atlantic : The Naval Struggle Against
the Axis; and, Triumph in the Pacific the Navy’s Struggle Against Japan.
According to the book description
of Admiral Arleigh Burke A Biography, “Arleigh Burke is considered the father of the modern
U.S. Navy to many. Sea warrior, strategist, and unparalleled service leader, Burke had an impact on the course of naval warfare
that is still felt today. This biography by noted historian E.B. Potter follows Burke’s distinguished career from his
early days at the Naval Academy through the dramatic destroyer operations in the Solomons, where he earned his nickname "31-Knot
Burke," to his participation in the crucial carrier operations of World War II. The author also fully examines Burke’s
postwar service as a United Nations delegate to the Korean truce talks and his unprecedented six-year tenure as chief of naval
operations from 1955 to 1961, where he was a strong advocate of carrier aviation, nuclear propulsion, and a major force in
developing the Navy’s Polaris missile program. Awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor,
in 1977, he became the first living U.S. naval officer to have a class of ship named after him—the Arleigh Burke guided
missile destroyers. Now available in paperback for the first time, this definitive 1990 biography is a worthy tribute to a
great naval hero.” According to the book description
of Nimitz, “Called a great book worthy of a great man, this definitive biography of the commander
in chief of the Pacific Fleet in World War II, first published in 1976 and now available in paperback for the first time,
continues to be considered the best book ever written about Adm. Chester W. Nimitz. Highly respected by both the civilian
and naval communities, Nimitz was sometimes overshadowed by more colorful warriors such as MacArthur and Halsey. Potter's
lively and authoritative style fleshes out Admiral Nimitz's personality to help readers appreciate the contributions he
made as the principal architect of Japan's defeat. The book covers his full life, from a poverty-stricken childhood to
postwar appointments as Chief of Naval Operations and U.N. mediator. It candidly reveals Nimitz's opinions of Halsey,
Kimmel, King, Spruance, MacArthur, Forrestal, Roosevelt, and Truman.”
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