Office of the Superintendent/Administrative Records: Correspondence Relating to Cadet's Clothing, 1867-1882: 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 fair copies of letters received, letters sent, and copies of contracts relating to the provision and repair of clothing and shoes for cadets. Included are reports of the Clothing Board appointed by the Superintendent to make recommendations about the type of clothing and the system for supplying it to the cadets. Throughout this period the firm of Devlin and Company of New York supplied much of the clothing.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

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/3027227.

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

Other records pertaining to naval cadet or midshipmen clothing in this period are found in entry 8: "Letters Sent by the Superintendent to the Secretary of the Navy and to Navy Department Bureaus, 1864-1865" (NAID: 2989240); entry 12: "Press Copies of Letters Sent by the Superintendent to Bureaus of the Navy Department, 1865-1908" (NAID: 2989989); entry 25: "Letters Received by the Superintendent, 1843-1889" (NAID: 2990043); and entry 39b: "General Correspondence, 1845-1989." Later records pertaining to naval cadet clothing are found in entry 14: "Press Copies of Letters Sent to the Bureaus of Construction and Repair, Medicine and Surgery, Ordnance, Provisions and Clothing, Steam Engineering, and Yards and Docks, 1884-1888 (NAID: 2989996); and entry 18: "Press Copies of Letters Sent by the Superintendent to the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing and to the Paymaster General, 1888" (NAID: 2990009).

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: Correspondence Relating to Cadet's Clothing, RG 405.2.3 Entry 76

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 February 2022. Finding aid written by Samuel Limneos in February 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
• United States Naval Academy -- History -- 19th century
• United States Naval Academy – Students

Genre Terms

• Correspondence