Office of the Superintendent/Reports of Proceedings of Boards of Investigation: Correspondence and Reports Relating to Hazing, Orders of the Academy, and Other Records of the Chief Clerk of the Academy, 1913-1915: 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 entry contains reports of proceedings of boards of investigation, correspondence and reports relating to hazing, orders of the academy, and other records of the chief clerk of the Academy. Records include correspondence and reports relating to hazing incidents at the Academy in 1915; reports of board proceedings in various investigations involving midshipmen, including a board to inquire into irregularities in the annual examination of the first and second classes in the Department of Modern Languages; and orders.

Arrangement

Arranged by type of record.

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/3091051.

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

Other copies of board proceedings relating to the incident covered by this entry may be found in entry 217: “Proceedings of the Court of Inquiry Convened at the Academy into Alleged Frauds Committed by Midshipmen in the Annual Examinations of 1915” (NAID: 2990175); and entry 218: “Proceedings of Boards Investigating Hazing at the Academy and on Summer Practice Cruise Ships and Related Reports, 1915.”

Other copies of reports produced by boards of inquiry convened to investigate earlier hazing, cheating and other forms of midshipman misconduct may be found in entry 210: “Press Copies of Letters Sent and Reports Relating to Boards of Inquiry, 1874-1882:” (NAID: 3190035); and entry 211: “Proceedings of Courts of Inquiry or Boards Appointed to Investigate Charges Against Midshipmen, 1866-1871, 1877-1878.”

Additional correspondence of the superintendent relating to the subjects addressed by this entry may be found in entry 36: “General Correspondence, 1913-1922” (NAID: 2990114); and entry 39b: “General Correspondence, 1845-1989.” Copies of superintendent’s orders included in this entry may be found in entry 54: “Orders Issued by the Superintendent, 1907-1979” (NAID: 2990356).

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: Reports of Proceedings of Boards of Investigation, Correspondence and Reports Relating to Hazing, Orders of the Academy, and Other Records of the Chief Clerk of the Academy, 1913-1915, RG 405.2.5 Entry 143

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 -- Moral and Ethical Aspects -- United States
• Midshipmen -- United States
• Naval education -- United States.
• United States Naval Academy -- History – 20th century
• United States Naval Academy -- Students -- Discipline
• United States Naval Academy. Superintendent
• United States Navy -- Officers

Genre Terms

• Correspondence
• Orders (military records)
• Proceedings
• Reports