James D. Hornfischer (1965–2021) was an American literary agent, author, and naval historian. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts and graduated from Colgate University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated with high honors in German. He also received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Texas School of Law.
A one-time book editor at the publishing company HarperCollins in New York and was later president of Hornfischer Literary Management, a literary agency in Austin, Texas. He was a non-practicing member of the State Bar of Texasand a member of the Authors Guild and the Texas Institute of Letters, and served on the advisory board of the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference. He has written for Smithsonian, The Wall Street Journal, and other periodicals. He was a board member of the Naval Historical Foundation and was awarded the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award.
The books he has written led reviewers to rate him as one of the most commanding naval historiansHis awards include the 2018 Samuel Eliot Morison Award, given by the Board of Trustees of the USS Constitution Museum.