James J. Hudson (1919-1991) was a historian, World War II fighter pilot, and University of Arkansas Graduate School dean. Born in Lavaca, Arkansas, Hudson attended the University of Arkansas during the 1940s where he earned his bachelor and master's degrees in history. He received a doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley in 1952. During World War II, Hudson served in the United States Army Air Corps as a fighter pilot in the European theater and was decorated for bravery in combat. He began teaching at the University of Arkansas in 1952, specializing in military and Civil War history, and became dean of the Graduate School in 1972. His writing and research interests centered mainly on military aviation and the Civil War. Hudson published two books on World War I flyers, Hostile Skies: A Combat History of the American Air Service in World War I (1968) and In Clouds of Glory: American Airmen Who Flew With the British During the Great War (1990).

(Biographical note copied from the finding aid for MC 1118)