[1] A specialist in the history of American foreign relations, he taught at the University of Kentucky for 36 years.
Born and raised in Blacksburg, Virginia, Herring earned his BA from Roanoke College.
After serving in the United States Navy for two years, Herring attended the University of Virginia, where he earned an MA (1962) and a Ph.D. (1965) in history.
In addition to teaching and writing several books, Herring was editor of Diplomatic History, and served a member of the Department of the Army Historical Advisory Committee and President of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations.
He also served on the boards of the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation, the Kentucky Humanities Council, and the UK Library Associates.