William J. Hamblin

William James Hamblin (1954-2019) was a professor of history at Brigham Young University (BYU), and a former board member of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) at BYU.

Biography 
Hamblin served as an LDS missionary in Italy from 1973–75.

Hamblin received his bachelor's degree in history from BYU. He did his graduate studies from the University of Michigan, receiving an M.A. in history in 1981, an M.A. in Near East Studies in 1984, and a Ph.D. in history in 1985.  The title of his Dissertation was The Fatimid Army During the Early Crusades. Prior to joining the faculty of BYU in 1989, Hamblin was a history professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, an instructor at Campbell University and a Middle East intelligence analyst for the United States Department of Defense. Hamblin contributed many articles to The International Military Encyclopedia.

Hamblin taught as a professor at the BYU Jerusalem Center and was teaching at Brigham Young University in the History Department up until his unexpected death.

Apologetics 

Hamblin was also known for his role in Mormon apologetics. He wrote on archaeology and the Book of Mormon, both in general articles for the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies and in response to criticisms to the historicity of the Book of Mormon. Hamblin, who served as editor of the LDS apologetics journal Interpreter, contributed articles there as well.

Writings 
Warfare in the Ancient Near East to 1600 BC published by Routledge in 2005.
Solomon's Temple: Myth and History (Thames and Hudson, 2007) (with David Seely)

Personal life
Hamblin lived in Provo, Utah. He has three children with his ex-wife, Loree. The two divorced in 2013.

At the time of his passing, he was living in Cedar City, Utah, with his wife, Laura. They were married in 2019.

https://www.maglebymortuary.com/notices/William-Hamblin

References

External links 
 Faculty page at BYU's College of Family, Home and Social Sciences
 Author page at Scholarly and Historical Information Exchange for Latter-day Saints (SHIELDS)

Category:1954 births
Category:20th-century Mormon missionaries
Category:21st-century American historians
Category:American Mormon missionaries in Italy
Category:Brigham Young University alumni
Category:Brigham Young University faculty
Category:Campbell University faculty
Category:2019 deaths
Category:Mormon apologists
Category:Maxwell Institute
Category:Writers from Provo, Utah
Category:Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies alumni
Category:University of Southern Mississippi faculty
Category:Latter Day Saints from Mississippi
Category:Latter Day Saints from Michigan
Category:Latter Day Saints from North Carolina
Category:Latter Day Saints from Utah