Dr. Don Hickey is a professor of history at Wayne State College.
Although he has been at Wayne State since 1978, he has held concurrent visiting positions at the Army Staff College (1991-92), the Naval War College (1995-96), and the Citadel (2013).
Called “the dean of 1812 scholarship” by the New Yorker, Dr. Hickey is an award-winning author who has written 11 books and more than a hundred articles, mainly on the War of 1812. He has lectured widely in the United States, Canada, and the British Isles, and he has consulted extensively with numerous government agencies and museums, including the National Park Service, the National Portrait Gallery, the USS Constitution Museum, and the U.S. Post Office. He appears in several documentary films, including PBS’s “The War of 1812,” which was first shown in 2011, and he is quoted by name on the sheet of U.S. postage stamps commemorating the Battle of New Orleans that was issued in 2015.
Dr. Hickey has received several awards for his scholarship and teaching, including:
- American Military Institute's Best Book Award (for The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict) in 1990
- National Historical Society's Book Prize (for The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict) in 1990
- Burlington Northern Award (for outstanding teaching) in 1991
- Commander's Award for Public Service, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in 1992
- Pi Gamma Mu Outstanding Faculty Member in 1992-93
- Burlington Northern Award (for outstanding scholarship) in 1993
- Maryland Preservation Award for Excellence in Media & Publications (for contribution to In Full Glory Reflected) in 2013
- Spirit of 1812 Award from the National Society United States Daughters of 1812 in 2013
- Samuel Eliot Morison Award from the USS Constitution Museum in 2013
He is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi.
Education
Ph.D., History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
M.A., History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
B.A., History, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Academic Interests
Dr. Hickey's teaching interests are U.S. history, early national America, and the history of American wars. His research interests include early national America and U.S. wars, especially the War of 1812, Tecumseh’s War, and Quasi-War of 1798.
