Office of the Superintendent/Administrative Records: List of Applicants for Appointment as Naval Cadets at Large, 1898: Finding Aid

History of the Office of the Superintendent

The plan of the Naval School at Fort Severn, Annapolis, Maryland, approved by the Navy Department August 28, 1846, provided that a Superintendent of the school be appointed by the Secretary of the Navy from a list of officers of a rank not higher than commander. The Superintendent was to have responsibility for the general management of the institution, including overseeing the course of study, professors, and other personnel connected with the Academy. He could appoint and remove all persons employed at the Academy except those for whose appointment or discharge special provision was made by the laws or regulations of the Navy or the Academy. He had general charge of the buildings, grounds, and ships belonging to the Academy. The Superintendent also formulated the code of rules and regulations for the internal government of the school to be submitted to the Secretary of the Navy for approval. After 1867, officers were assigned by the Navy Department to the Academy to serve as assistants or aides to the Superintendent. The Office of the Superintendent as described in the 1846 plan remained relatively unchanged throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Officers of ranks higher than commander, however, have served in the position.

Description of Contents

This series contains a list of applicants for appointment as naval cadets at large. The list shows the name of the applicant, state from which appointed, and names of persons recommending him. Some entries give other information, such as the candidate's age, or name and occupation of parent or guardian. Alphabetical entries also have candidate numbers. At the beginning of the volume is a separate typescript Army and Navy list of candidates for cadet-at-large appointments, identifying the sons of Army and Navy personnel and listing the names of the persons making recommendations. Included in the front of the volume are various loose memoranda stating the names of candidates and their fathers receiving endorsement for Presidential appointments.

Arrangement

Arranged in two subseries: alphabetically by applicant initial surname letter, and numerically by candidate number (4334-5084). A name index is at the beginning of the volume.

Access and Use

Access

Unrestricted.

Copyright and Permission

Unrestricted.

Other Finding Aid(s)

National Archives Catalog entry available electronically at: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/3026129.

Acquisition and Appraisal

Custodial History

RG 405 Records of the United States Naval Academy is the property of the National Archives and Records Administration. The materials are housed at the United States Naval Academy, William W. Jeffries Memorial Archives, an affiliated archive, as per a Memorandum of Agreement between the National Archives and Records Administration and the United States Naval Academy.

Related Materials

Related Archival Material

Register books maintained by the Department of Ethics and English Studies examination committee containing written, oral, and full board admission candidate examination grades are found in entry 67: "Record of Examination of Candidates for Cadet Midshipmen, 1867-1873" (NAID: 3021181); entry 68: "Marks for the First Oral Examination of Candidates for Cadet Midshipmen, 1867-1870" (NAID: 3021185); and entry 69: "Record of Examination of Candidates for Cadet Engineers, 1871-1873" (NAID: 3021191). Other record books containing grades received on oral, written and full board examinations in subjects enumerated in these volumes as "arithmetic," by candidates for admission are found in Subseries 1d: Mathematics Entrance Examination Grade Books, 1867-1903 in entry 201f: "Records of the Division of Mathematics and Science, 1862-1995." Other candidate examination grades and remarks are found in entry 70: "Register of Grades Received on Examinations for Admission by Applicants for Cadet Appointments, 1873-1886" (NAID: 3021194); entry 71: "Register of Grades Received by Candidates for Appointment at Entrance Examinations, 1874-1890" (NAID: 3023070); and entry 72: "Register of Candidates Who Failed to Pass the Required Examination for Admission to the Academy, 1875-1881" (NAID: 3025145). Registers containing more information on candidates listed in this entry, as well as earlier and later engineer candidates are found in entry 62: "Registers of Candidates for Admission to the Academy, 1849-1871; 1876-1930" (NAID: 3000050); entry 63: "Register of Candidates for Admission to the Academy as Midshipmen, Acting Third Assistant Engineers, and Cadet Engineers, 1861-1867; 1871; 1875" (NAID: 3020758); and entry 64: "Register of Candidates for Admission to the Academy as Acting Third Assistant and Cadet Engineers, 1867-1875" (NAID: 3020766).

Materials Cataloged Separately

No materials have been removed from this collection and cataloged separately.

Processing and Other Information

Preferred Citation

Office of the Superintendent/Administrative Records: List of Applicants for Appointment as Naval Cadets at Large, RG 405.2.3 Entry 73

Special Collections & Archives Department

Nimitz Library

United States Naval Academy

Selected Bibliography

The following sources were consulted during preparation of the historical note:

Sweetman, Jack. The U.S. Naval Academy: An Illustrated History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute Press, 1979.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Samuel Limneos in January 2022. Finding aid written by Samuel Limneos in January 2022. Historical Sketch and Scope and Content Note adapted in part from Inventory of Records Group 405 by Geraldine N. Phillips and Aloha South, 1975.

Subject Headings

Name and Subject Terms

• Naval education -- United States
• United States Naval Academy -- Admission
• United States Naval Academy – Students

Genre Terms

• Registers (lists)