Chester W. Nimitz Papers, 1941-1966: Finding Aid

Biography of Chester W. Nimitz

Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz was born in Fredericksburg, Texas, on February 24, 1885, the son of Chester Bernhard and Anna (Henke) Nimitz. Appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy from Texas, he graduated in 1905 with distinction, seventh in a class of 114.

In 1912 Nimitz risked his life to rescue an enlisted man from drowning. Despite an early court-martial and reprimand for running his second command, the destroyer Decatur, aground, Nimitz's advancement through the naval ranks was swift. His career would encompass a broad range of duties ashore and at sea, including the commands of destroyers, submarines, cruisers and battleships. He was considered an expert on the topics of diesel engines and undersea warfare.

During the First World War, Nimitz served as Chief of Staff to the Commander of the Submarine Division, Atlantic Fleet. He was assigned to the University of California in 1926 and there established one of the first Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps Units. Among his duties during the 1930s, Chester William Nimitz would serve as Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Navigation, commander of a cruiser division and commander of a battleship division. Nimitz attained the rank of Rear Admiral in 1938.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Nimitz was promoted from Chief of the Bureau of Navigation to Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet. The following year, he was awarded the additional title of Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Areas. Nimitz commanded "all U.S. and Allied forces in the North, Central and South Pacific, except the Army Air Force bombers that raided Japan from the Marianas." A brilliant leader and strategist Nimitz led his forces to victory against the Japanese. His triumph would be crowned in 1944 with the Navy's highest rank, that of Fleet Admiral. Chester William Nimitz would have the honor of signing for the United States at Japan's surrender aboard his flagship, the U.S.S. Missouri, in 1945.

From 1945 through 1947, Nimitz served as Chief of Naval Operations, and in 1948 became Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy in the Western Sea Frontier. Nimitz sincerely enjoyed his naval career, never formally retiring from the Navy.

Chester William Nimitz died 20 February 1966 at his home in California and was buried in the Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California. He was survived by his wife, Catherine Vance Freeman Nimitz (whom he married in 1913) and his children: Rear Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Jr., USN retired, Catherine Vance Lay, Anna Elizabeth (Nancy) Nimitz and Mary Manson Nimitz.

Description of Contents

The Chester William Nimitz Papers are primarily a collection of letters from Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz (1885-1966) to his wife Catherine and to his friends: Capt. Leonard Miscall, Dr. Lloyd Reynolds and Frank G. Nagle. The correspondence covers the years 1941-1966. Nimitz's letters to his wife, written during his World War II service, are the most historically significant of the materials.

An interview of Nimitz by U.S.N.A. Professor William M. Belote and two inscribed yen notes are also included among the papers. Although acquired from various sources at different times, the Papers are grouped together in one collection because of their relevance to the same subject, Chester William Nimitz.

Back to Top

Arrangement

The Chester W. Nimitz Papers are organized into the following five series:

• Series 1: CHESTER WILLIAM NIMITZ LETTERS TO CATHERINE NIMITZ, 1941-1945
• Series 2: NIMITZ LETTERS TO CAPTAIN LEONARD MISCALL, 1947-1966
• Series 3: CHESTER WILLIAM NIMITZ LETTER TO DR. LLOYD REYNOLDS, 1945
• Series 4: CHESTER WILLIAM NIMITZ LETTERS TO FRANK G. NAGLE, 1950-1951
• Series 5: CHESTER WILLIAM NIMITZ INTERVIEW, 1964

Access and Use

Access

Access is unrestricted.

Copyright and Permission

The Chester W. Nimitz Papers are the physical property of Nimitz Library. Copyright belongs to the authors or creators of the works, or their legal representatives. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.

It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure written permission to publish, reprint, or reproduce material from Special Collections & Archives. The researcher assumes responsibility for infringement of copyright or literary or publication rights. Please contact the Head, Special Collections & Archives for permission to publish and for further information.

Acquisition and Appraisal

Provenance and Acquisition

Gifts of Robert A. Kolb in April 1976, Nimitz's sister, Sister Aquinas via Sister Marguerite Stanka of the Archbishop Alemany Library in January 1982, Captain Leonard F. Bassett, USN (Ret.) in January 1985, and the United States Naval Academy Alumni Association in October 1988. Accession No. 85-2 and 88-37.

Related Materials

Location of Copies or Alternate Formats

The Chester W. Nimitz Papers are available electronically in their entirety. In addition to following the links in the Container List, the materials can be accessed through Trireme: The U.S. Navy’s Higher Education Digital Archives Preservation System at: https://trireme.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/SO_a012be76-1c5e-4d2e-b122-2d43aec69627/

Related Archival Material

The Nimitz (Chester W.) Collection (http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf78700873/), housed at the Holt-Atherton Department of Special Collections, University Library, University of the Pacific, consists of transcript copies of correspondence, orders, reports, speeches and press clippings, as well as seventy-nine photographs, some autographed. A finding aid is available through the Online Archive of California.

The Papers of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz (http://www.history.navy.mil/research/archives/research-guides-and-finding-aids/personal-papers/n/papers-of-fleet-admiral-chester-w-nimitz.html), housed within the Operational Archives of the Naval Historical Center, consist of official, semiofficial, and personal correspondence, dispatches, publications, speeches, subject files and newspaper clippings.

Materials Cataloged Separately

No materials have been removed from the collection.

Processing and Other Information

Preferred Citation

Chester W. Nimitz Papers, MS 236

Special Collections & Archives Department

Nimitz Library

United States Naval Academy

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Mary R. Catalfamo in 1989. Finding aid written by Mary R. Catalfamo in 1989 and edited for electronic publication by David D'Onofrio in November 2008.

Subject Headings

Name and Subject Terms

• Nimitz, Catherine Freeman, d. 1979
• Nimitz, Chester W. (Chester William), 1885-1966
• World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Pacific Ocean
• World War, 1939-1945 -- Naval Operations, American

Genre Terms

• Correspondence
• Manuscripts