Richard W. Leopold Prize facts for kids
The Richard W. Leopold Prize is a special award given every two years by the Organization of American Historians (OAH). It honors the best history books about the United States government.
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What is the Richard W. Leopold Prize?
The Richard W. Leopold Prize is named after Professor Richard W. Leopold (1912–2006). He was a respected historian and even served as the President of the OAH from 1976 to 1977.
How Winners Are Chosen
A special committee picks the winners. This committee has three members. The President of the OAH chooses these members. They look for the best history book on certain topics.
What Kinds of Books Win?
The books that win this prize are about the U.S. federal government. This includes books about government groups or how the U.S. deals with other countries. Books about the U.S. military can also win. Biographies, which are life stories of government officials, are also considered.
Who Can Win the Prize?
Only historians who do not work at universities can win this award. The prize often goes to historians who work for U.S. government agencies. The winning author receives $1,500. Sometimes, two books have won in the same year. This happened in 1990 and 2002. If two books win, the authors share the prize money. If a book has two authors, they also split the money.
Past Winners of the Leopold Prize
Below is a list of the talented historians who have won the Richard W. Leopold Prize. The list shows the year they won and the title of their award-winning book. It also shows where they worked when they received the prize.
| Year | Winner | Affiliation | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | J. Merton England | A Patron for Pure Science, The National Science Foundation's Formative Years, 1945-1957 | |
| 1986 | Steven L. Rearden | History of the Office of the Secretary of Defense: The Formative Years, 1947-1950 | |
| 1988 | James Edward Miller | The United States and Italy 1940-1950: The Politics and Diplomacy of Stabilization | |
| 1990 | Richard G. Hewlett co-author | U.S. Department of Energy | Atoms for Peace and War 1953-1961: Eisenhower and the Atomic Energy Commission |
| 1990 | Jack M. Holl co-author | U.S. Department of Energy | Atoms for Peace and War 1953-1961: Eisenhower and the Atomic Energy Commission |
| 1992 | Donald A. Ritchie | U.S. Senate | Press Gallery: Congress and the Washington Correspondents |
| 1994 | Donald R. Baucom | Air Power Research Institute at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama | The Origins of SDI, 1944-1983 |
| 1996 | Barton C. Hacker | U.S. Department of Energy | Elements of Controversy: The Atomic Energy Commission and Radiation Safety in Nuclear Weapons Testing, 1947-1974 |
| 1998 | Andrew J. Butrica | Independent scholar | To See the Unseen: A History of Planetary Radar Astronomy |
| 2000 | William M. Hammond | U.S. Army Center of Military History | Reporting 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 Vietnam |
| 2002co-winner | Kenneth Conboy, co-author | Control Risks Group | Indonesia, Spies and Commandos: How America Lost the Secret War in North Vietnam |
| 2002co-winner | Gary 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. | 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 War |
| 2010 | J. Samuel Walker | U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission | The Road to Yucca Mountain: The Development of Radioactive Waste Policy in the United States |
| 2012 | William A. Dobak | The United States Army Center of Military History (retired) | Freedom by the Sword: The U.S. Colored Troops, 1862–1867 |
| 2014 | S.C.M. Paine | US Naval War College | The Wars for Asia, 1911–1949 |
| 2016 | Jacqueline E. Whitt | Air War College | Bringing God to Men: American Military Chaplains and the Vietnam War |
| 2018 | Richard S. Faulkner | U.S. Army Command and General Staff College | Pershing’s Crusaders: The American Soldier in World War I |
| 2020 | Anand Toprani | U.S. Naval War College | Oil and the Great Powers: Britain and Germany, 1914–1945 |
| 2022 | Christian Friedrich Ostermann | Woodrow Wilson Center | Between Containment and Rollback: The United States and the Cold War in Germany |
