William M. Fowler, Jr. the former director of the Massachusetts Historical Society is Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus at Northeastern University He is the former editor of The New England Quarterly and the author of a number of books relating to American history including: William Ellery A Rhode Island Politico and Lord of Admiralty; Rebels Under Sail: The Navy in the Revolution; The Baron of Beacon Hill: A Biography of John Hancock; Jack Tars and Commodores: The American Navy 1783-1815; Silas Talbot : Captain of Old Ironsides ; Under Two Flags: The American Navy in the Civil War; Samuel Adams: Puritan Radical; Empires at War: The French and Indian War and the Struggle For North America, 1754-1763;and American Crisis: George Washington and the Dangerous Two Years After Yorktown, 1781-1783. He wrote the “Introduction” and “Epilogue” to Boston Looks Seaward and he is co-author of America and The Sea: A Maritime History of America. His most recent book (2017) is Steam Titans:Cunard, Collins and the Epic Battle for Commerce on the North Atlantic.Read more about this authorRead less about this author