The History Division was formed on 8 September 1919, by Order Number 53 of Commandant of the Marine Corps George Barnett as the Historical Section of the Department of the Adjutant and Inspector.

[3] After World War II, the organization was known as "Marine Corps History and Museums Division" until the splitting of the division in 2005 in order to create the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

The United States Marine Corps History Division is a staff organization with the primary task of researching and writing the Marine Corps’ official history.

[4] It is organized into four branches:[5] Since its inception, the following individuals have served as director:[3] The History Division maintains several publications, including the quarterly newsletter Fortitudine (ISBN 0-16-010404-1), which was a traditional motto of the Corps before semper fidelis was adapted in 1883.

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.