Henry Clay Hofheimer Lecture Series Overview

Established at the Joint Forces Staff College, the Henry Clay Hofheimer Lecture Series was the first to be approved by the National Defense University Foundation. The NDU Foundation was instituted to serve the National War College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C., and the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk--the three major professional military colleges that make up the university system under the auspices of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The lecture series is named in honor of Henry Clay Hofheimer II, a prominent Hampton Roads area industrialist, businessman, and philanthropist, who is widely known for his dedication to promoting cooperation between the civilian and military communities. He is particularly recognized for over 50 years of personal support of the Joint Forces Staff College. When the college was established in 1946 with the mission of continuing the joint and combined planning that resulted in victory for the Allied Powers in World War II, Mr. Hofheimer correctly foresaw that it would become an important center for international goodwill and military cooperation, and that its location in Norfolk would be a significant asset to the Hampton Roads area.

To add emphasis to his support, Mr. Hofheimer and his late wife, Elise, ensured that each successive Commandant of the college was promptly introduced to a wide circle of the community’s most influential business and cultural leaders, and personally attended the graduation exercises of nearly every class of U.S. and international officers that finished the course in joint and combined planning and operations.

The Hofheimer Lecture Series includes lectures yearly by former military or political leaders of national reputation and stature. Each of these leaders lectures, teaches, and writes about matters of national or international strategic importance.

It was with great pride and pleasure that the Joint Forces Staff College and the National Defense University Foundation dedicated this lecture series to a Virginian who is a great American patriot. Mr. Hofheimer’s vision, logic, and energy helped establish the Joint Forces Staff College as a source of great pride throughout the national defense circles of the United States and those of allied nations.