Classicist and military historian Victor Davis Hanson, the Wayne and Marcia Buske Distinguished Fellow in History at Hillsdale College, has been named a 2008 recipient of the prestigious Bradley Prize.

The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation awards up to four prizes of $250,000 to individuals of excellence who have made outstanding contributions to the preservation and defense of the institutions of free government and private enterprise.

Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn stated: “For over 25 years, both in the classroom and in the public arena, Dr. Hanson has educated his fellow citizens about the treasures of their Western heritage, and about the responsibilities that those treasures entail. We at Hillsdale are proud to have him as a colleague and as a teacher, and we congratulate him on this honor.”

Bradley Foundation president Michael W. Grebe said that Hanson was selected “for his dedicated scholarship in ancient history, current affairs and individual freedom. In his lifelong work, Dr. Hanson has made substantial contributions to the understanding of Western Civilization and national security."

The Bradley Prizes will be presented during a ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on June 4.

In addition to teaching fall courses in classical and military history at Hillsdale College, Hanson is the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow on War, Revolution and Peace at the Hoover Institution, a Fellow in California Studies at Claremont Institute, a nationally syndicated columnist for Tribune Media Services, and the author of several books, including The Soul of Battle, Carnage and Culture, and A War Like No Other.