Robert P. Watson

Robert P. Watson
Robert P. Watson
Born	1962 (age 63–64)
Occupations	Political scientist, historian, author
Title	Distinguished Professor of American History; Avron Fogelman Research Professor
Academic work
Institutions	Lynn University

Robert P. Watson (born 1962)¹ is an American political scientist and a historian of US politics, and the author of several books on US political and military history. Watson holds the titles Distinguished Professor of American History, Avron Fogelman Research Professor,² and Assistant Director of the Center for Citizenship and Civility at Lynn University in Florida.

Education

Watson holds a bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech, a master's degree from the University of West Florida, and a Ph.D. from Florida Atlantic University.² He was a member of the football and track teams at Virginia Tech and has been inducted into two sports halls of fame.

Career

Watson held positions at Troy University, Northern Arizona University, the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo,³ and Florida Atlantic University,⁴ before joining the faculty of Lynn University in 2007.² He has won several Distinguished Teacher of the Year awards in his career. He also taught with the Junior Statesman Foundation at Yale, Stanford, and Georgetown, and served as a visiting scholar at several universities in the US.

Books

Watson is the author of books, including:

The Presidents' Wives: Reassessing the Office of the First Lady (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000; 2nd ed., 2014)⁵
First Ladies of the United States: A Biographical Dictionary (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2001)
Affairs of State: The Untold History of Presidential Love, Sex, and Scandal (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012)⁶
America's First Crisis: The War of 1812 (SUNY Press, 2014)⁷
The Nazi Titanic: The Incredible Untold Story of a Doomed Ship in World War II (Hachette Books, 2016)⁸
The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn: An Untold Story of the American Revolution (Hachette Books, 2017)⁹
George Washington's Final Battle: The Epic Struggle to Build a Capital and Nation (Georgetown University Press, 2021)¹⁰
Escape! The Story of the Confederacy's Infamous Libby Prison and the Civil War's Largest Jail Break (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021)
America's First Plague: The Deadly 1793 Epidemic that Crippled a Young Nation (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2023)¹¹
When Washington Burned: The British Invasion of the Capital and a Nation's Rise from the Ashes (Georgetown University Press, 2023)
Rebels at the Gates (Bloomsbury, 2025)
Declaration: The Story of America’s Independence (Bloomsbury, 2026)

References

Birth date from Library of Congress, credited to data sheet from The President's Wives
"Robert Watson". Campus directory. Lynn University. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
"People in political science". PS: Political Science & Politics. 30 (2): 222–223. June 1997. doi:10.1017/s1049096500043420.
"2006 Distinguished Teacher of the Year" (PDF). Office of the provost. Florida Atlantic University. 2006.
Reviews of The Presidents' Wives:
- MaryAnne Borrelli, Rhetoric and Public Affairs, JSTOR 41940282
- Margaret Flanagan, Booklist, [1]
- Myra G. Gutin, Presidential Studies Quarterly, JSTOR 27552199
- Rhonda Kinney, Perspectives on Political Science, ProQuest 194695298
- Laura Van Assendelft, White House Studies, [2]
Review of Affairs of State: Bryn Upton, The Historian, JSTOR 24456744
Reviews of America's First Crisis:
- Gregg French, H-Net, [3]
- Daniel P. Murphy, The Journal of American Culture, ProQuest 1852700078
- Stuart L. Butler, On Point, JSTOR 26365644
Reviews of The Nazi Titanic:
- John Howard Oxley, Warship International, JSTOR 44893464
- The Columbus Dispatch, [4]
Reviews of The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn:
- Jon Ault, H-Net, [5]
- Woody Holton, The Historian, doi:10.1111/hisn.13075
- John Howard Oxley, Warship International, JSTOR 44894923
Reviews of George Washington’s Final Battle:
- Carl Abbott, The Journal of American History, doi:10.1093/jahist/jaab144
- Bob Arnebeck, Washington History, JSTOR 48694027
- Molly Nebiolo, Journal of the Early Republic, JSTOR 27105434
Reviews of America's First Plague:
- Fergus M. Bordewich, "‘America’s First Plague’ Review: Attack of the Yellow Jack", Wall Street Journal, [6]
- Dennis Cornfield, Medical History Society of New Jersey, [7]

External links

Official website
Appearances on C-SPAN

[1] Birth date from Library of Congress, credited to data sheet from The President's Wives

[lynn-2] "Robert Watson". Campus directory. Lynn University. Retrieved 2024-05-18.

[3] "People in political science". PS: Political Science & Politics. 30 (2): 222–223. June 1997. doi:10.1017/s1049096500043420.

[4] "2006 Distinguished Teacher of the Year" (PDF). Office of the provost. Florida Atlantic University. 2006.

[5] Reviews of The Presidents' Wives:
MaryAnne Borrelli, Rhetoric and Public Affairs, JSTOR 41940282

Margaret Flanagan, Booklist, [1]

Myra G. Gutin, Presidential Studies Quarterly, JSTOR 27552199

Rhonda Kinney, Perspectives on Political Science, ProQuest 194695298

Laura Van Assendelft, White House Studies, [2]

[6] MaryAnne Borrelli, Rhetoric and Public Affairs, JSTOR 41940282

[7] Margaret Flanagan, Booklist, [1]

[8] Myra G. Gutin, Presidential Studies Quarterly, JSTOR 27552199

[9] Rhonda Kinney, Perspectives on Political Science, ProQuest 194695298

[10] Laura Van Assendelft, White House Studies, [2]

[6] Review of Affairs of State: Bryn Upton, The Historian, JSTOR 24456744

[7] Reviews of America's First Crisis:
Gregg French, H-Net, [3]

Daniel P. Murphy, The Journal of American Culture, ProQuest 1852700078

Stuart L. Butler, On Point, JSTOR 26365644

[13] Gregg French, H-Net, [3]

[14] Daniel P. Murphy, The Journal of American Culture, ProQuest 1852700078

[15] Stuart L. Butler, On Point, JSTOR 26365644

[8] Reviews of The Nazi Titanic:
John Howard Oxley, Warship International, JSTOR 44893464

The Columbus Dispatch, [4]

[17] John Howard Oxley, Warship International, JSTOR 44893464

[18] The Columbus Dispatch, [4]

[9] Reviews of The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn:
Jon Ault, H-Net, [5]

Woody Holton, The Historian, doi:10.1111/hisn.13075

John Howard Oxley, Warship International, JSTOR 44894923

[20] Jon Ault, H-Net, [5]

[21] Woody Holton, The Historian, doi:10.1111/hisn.13075

[22] John Howard Oxley, Warship International, JSTOR 44894923

[10] Reviews of George Washington’s Final Battle:
Carl Abbott, The Journal of American History, doi:10.1093/jahist/jaab144

Bob Arnebeck, Washington History, JSTOR 48694027

Molly Nebiolo, Journal of the Early Republic, JSTOR 27105434

[24] Carl Abbott, The Journal of American History, doi:10.1093/jahist/jaab144

[25] Bob Arnebeck, Washington History, JSTOR 48694027

[26] Molly Nebiolo, Journal of the Early Republic, JSTOR 27105434

[11] Reviews of America's First Plague:
Fergus M. Bordewich, "‘America’s First Plague’ Review: Attack of the Yellow Jack", Wall Street Journal, [6]

Dennis Cornfield, Medical History Society of New Jersey, [7]

[28] Fergus M. Bordewich, "‘America’s First Plague’ Review: Attack of the Yellow Jack", Wall Street Journal, [6]

[29] Dennis Cornfield, Medical History Society of New Jersey, [7]

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