Office of the Superintendent/Miscellaneous Records: Minutes of Meetings of the Naval Academy Officers' Club, 1897-1934: 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 minutes of annual, monthly, and special meetings of the officers' club and its executive committee. The records indicate that the academy successively referred to this organization as the Naval Academy Club, the Officers' Mess, and the Officers' Club. The purpose of the club was to promote social intercourse among its members, who were selected from the commissioned officers and civilian professors on duty at the academy. The club sponsored receptions, dances, and other special functions; maintained a bar, reading room, beach house, bowling alleys, and tennis courts; and provided special services for its members. In 1929 the club quarters occupied most of the main floor of the Officers' Club Building.

Volume 670 also includes monthly financial statements for the accounts of the Naval Academy Officers' Club for the years 1897-1899 and 1908-1911. Both volumes contain other records attached to blank pages, including a copy of the constitution of the club in 1929; a May 1934 statement containing information about the organization and functions of the club, carbon copies of letters sent by officers of the club, and a review of the status of the Naval Academy Beach House, November 23, 1932. There are no records for the periods 1900-1907 and 1912-1920.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Access and Use

Access

Access is unrestricted.

Copyright and Permission

Generally, materials produced by Federal agencies are in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission. Any non-government publications held herein may still be subject to copyright. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.

Other Finding Aid(s)

National Archives Catalog entry available electronically at: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/3083612.

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

Location of Related Materials

Additional correspondence of the superintendent relating to the officers’ club organization and building may be found in entry 3: “Press Copies of Letters Sent by the Superintendent, 1865-1911” (NAID: 2980540); entry 25: “Letters Received by the Superintendent, 1843-1889” (NAID: 2990043); entry 39: “General Correspondence, 1922-1927” (NAID: 2990163); and entry 39b: “General Correspondence, 1845-1989.”

Materials Cataloged Separately

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

Processing and Other Information

Preferred Citation

Office of the Superintendent/Miscellaneous Records: Minutes of Meetings of the Naval Academy Officers' Club, 1897–1934, RG 405.2.5 Entry 140

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 April 2023. Finding aid written by Samuel Limneos in May 2023. 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

• Midshipmen -- United States
• Naval education -- United States.
• United States Naval Academy -- History – 19th century
• United States Naval Academy -- History – 20th century
• United States Naval Academy -- Students.
• United States Naval Academy. Superintendent
• United States Navy -- Officers

Genre Terms

• Minutes