Richard Greening Hewlett, 92, of Bethesda

»Information from the Robert A. Pumphrey Funeral Homes website.

Richard Greening Hewlett, 92, died peacefully on September 1, 2015, at Maplewood Park Place in Bethesda, with dear friends at his side.

Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, he lived in the Washington area for 64 years. His Dartmouth education was interrupted by Army technical training at Bowdoin and Harvard, followed by service as an Army Air Force electronics-weather specialist in China during WWII. He completed his studies in 1952 at the University of Chicago, receiving a Ph.D. in history.

Richard was chief historian of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and its successor agencies from 1957–1980. He co-authored a three-volume AEC history and a history of the Nuclear Navy which received critical acclaim and several awards. Known as the dean of federal historians, he helped to establish historical offices in other federal agencies and was instrumental in the birth of the Society for History in the Federal Government and the National Council on Public History. He was also active in the Society for the History of Technology.

In retirement he co-founded and was chairman of the pioneering history company History Associates Incorporated, where he mentored colleagues and wrote a biography of the philanthropist Jessie Ball DuPont.

He was a faithful member of St. John’s Episcopal Church. In 1978 he was appointed as the historiographer of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, a role which expanded to include the Washington National Cathedral, where he established the Cathedral archives in the mid-1980s. In 2003 he was installed as an honorary canon of the Cathedral in recognition of his exceptional voluntary leadership. He was active in the Cosmos Club since 1979.

His high school sweetheart and wife of 59 years, Marilyn Nesper Hewlett, died in 2005. He is survived by sister-in-law Marianne S. Hewlett, nieces Marianne H. Hutchinson, Christine H. Kinsey, Susan C. Hewlett, 8 great-nieces and -nephews and 8 great-great nieces and nephews.

Services will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church Norwood Parish, 6701 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, MD 20815 on Friday, September 25, 2015, at 11 a.m. Burial will be in Toledo, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. John’s Episcopal Church Norwood Parish, the Washington National Cathedral, or a charity of choice.