John Votaw

Dr. John Votaw is the executive director emeritus of the Cantigny First Division Foundation, Wheaton, Illinois.

He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel with the U.S. Army. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy (1961), he commanded U.S. Army cavalry and armored units through the battalion level and served in Vietnam in 1966-67. Votaw directed the First Division Museum at Cantigny and the collocated Colonel Robert R. McCormick Research Center from 1986 to 2005. He was the general editor of the Cantigny Military History Series of books dealing with American military history and events related to the history of the 1st Infantry Division of the US Army. As the historian for the Society of the 1st Infantry Division, Votaw supervised the publication of the Society newspaper, The Bridgehead Sentinel, and advised the historical activities of the Society. Votaw completed his master's degree in history at the University of California, Davis, and his PhD at Temple University. He and his wife live in Illinois.