urn:taro:utexas.cah.01681 A Guide to the U.S. Secretary of the Navy Letter Collection, 1810-1934 Original EAD encoding by Jessi Fishman according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. June 2010 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary United States Secretary of the Navy U.S. Secretary of the Navy Letter Collection 1810-1934 Materials are written in English. 2008-131 3 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin The U.S. Secretary of the Navy Letter Collection contains 148 items, mostly letters to the Secretary of the Navy and to the President of the time regarding commissions into the Marine Corps. Historical Sketch

This collection was donated to the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History by Jack Moseley in memory of his sister, Mary Helen Moseley Johnson-Watson, whose first husband, Elwyn Charles Johnson, was given these documents by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936. Elwyn Johnson was an aide to the President, at the time the Under Secretary of the Navy. Woodrow Wilson appointed Roosevelt Assistant Secretary of the Navy under Josephus Daniels in 1913. Roosevelt served in the position until 1920 and during his tenure worked to expand the Navy and founded the United States Navy Reserve.

Scope and Contents

The U.S. Secretary of the Navy Letter Collection, 1810-1934, contains 148 items, mostly letters to the Secretary of the Navy and U.S. President of the time, regarding commissions into the Marine Corps. The collection includes letters to Secretaries of the Navy Paul Hamilton (May 1809-December 1812), William Jones (January 1813-December 1814), Smith Thompson (January 1819-August 1823), Samuel Lewis Southard (September 1823-March 1829), and John Young Mason (March 1844-March 1845), among others. Furthermore, the collection includes letters to President James Monroe (1817-1825), as well as to Commandants of the Marine Corps Colonel John Harris (1859-1864) and Major General George Barnett (1914-1918).

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945 Johnson, Elwyn C. Hamilton, Paul, 1762-1816 Jones, William, 1763-1831 Thompson, Smith, 1768-1843 Southard, Samuel L. (Samuel Lewis), 1787-1842 Mason, John Y. (John Young), 1799-1859 Monroe, James, 1758-1831 Harris, John, 1793-1864 Barnett, George, 1859-1930 Subjects (Organizations) United States. Dept. of the Navy--Archives. United States. Marine Corps Subjects Military correspondence Places Washington (D.C.) Preferred Citation

U.S. Secretary of the Navy Letter Collection, 1810-1934, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by by Evan Hocker, May 2008.

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory 2.325/M85 Letters, 1810-1934, undated