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NHF-137 Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King Collection

Approximately 350 black and white photographs, plus two folders of paper material, from the career of Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, USN. Subject is primarily World War II, with a strong focus on meetings and conferences with senior military and political leaders from the United States and Allied nations. There is a small amount of material related to his service prior to World War II, and his life after the war. Some photos have been assigned NH numbers or removed to the NH collection.
Title: Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King Collection
Caption: Collection Photo # NHF-137-Q.01 - Fleet Admiral Ernest King waves from a car in a World War II victory parade held in his honor, in his home town of Lorain, Ohio, 30 September 1945.
Description: Approximately 350 black and white photographs, plus two folders of paper material, from the career of Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, USN. Subject is primarily World War II, with a strong focus on meetings and conferences with senior military and political leaders from the United States and Allied nations. There is a small amount of material related to his service prior to World War II, and his life after the war. Some photos have been assigned NH numbers or removed to the NH collection.
Accession #: NHF
Catalog #: NHF-137
Donor: Naval Historical Foundation
Copyright Owner: Naval History and Heritage Command
After this Year: 1877
Before this Year: 1957
Related Content

NHF-137-A
14 black and white photos: King at French Frigate Shoals, circa 1936; king at unidentified ceremonies on board a ship and ashore; King at dedication of Corry Field, December 1934.

NHF-137-B
5 black and white photos of King at Navy Day 1937 in Cleveland.

NHF-137-C
6 black and white photos of Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox with King and other unidentified officers on board USS Augusta (CA-31), Bermuda, September 1941.

NHF-137-D
53 black and white photos and 5 negatives, as well as 2 oversize photographs: scenes on board USS Augusta (CA-31) and HMS Prince of Wales during Atlantic Charter Conference, 10-12 August 1941; Casablanca Conference 1943 including the Anfa Hotel; President Franklin D. Roosevelt inspecting troops and honoring dead at Mahdia Cemetery, 1942. Also seen are Winston Churchill and French General Henri Giraud.

NHF-137-E
4 black and white photos: Danish training ship Danmark circa 1939; US warships anchored – USS Wichita (CA-45), USS Russell (DD-414), USS Rind (DD-404), USS Texas (BB-35), USS Arkansas (BB-33), USS Moffet (DD-362), USS Hughes (DD-410), USS New York (BB-34).

NHF-137-F
4 black and white photos of meeting between American and British diplomats at Royal Naval College, Greenwich, July 1942. Seen are: Captain J.C. Davis, A.V. Alexander First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, Admiral King, Admiral Harold Stark. Includes captions for a series of photos from this event.

NHF-137-G
12 sepia photos of launching and christening ceremony for USS Frank Knox (DD-742) at Bath Iron Works.

NHF-137-H
25 black and white photos of Allied conference at Quebec, Canada, August 1943. Views of the city, along with personnel including: Admiral King, President Roosevelt,  Vice Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, General George Marshall, Winston Churchill, Admiral William Leahy General Henry Arnold, and other senior military leaders from Allied nations.

NHF-137-I
26 black and white photos plus 3 oversize photos of meetings of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during World War II. Seen are General Marshall, Admiral Leahy, Admiral King, General Arnold, as well as foreign military leaders.

NHF-137-J
8 black and white photos of the celebration of the second anniversary of the WAVES, Washington DC, 30 July 1944. Seen are Secretary of the Navy James Forrestall, Representative Margaret Smith, Captain Mildred McAfee, Admiral King, Representative Melvin Maas, and others.

NHF-137-K
42 black and white photos plus 1 oversize photo of various events: Admiral King receives honorary degree at Harvard; Rear Admiral King visits North Island; Admiral King at Cleveland Chamber of Commerce dinner; awards for war bond drive at industrial plant; Herbert Schiff Trophy diner in honor of Lieutenant Thomas Fisher, Training Squadron 7, at Washington DC 1929; British funeral, possibly Sir Dudley Pound, Westminster Abbey, October 1943.

NHF-137-L
26 black and white photographs, including oversize, portraits of Fleet Admiral King and other individuals including Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, President Roosevelt, General Dwight Eisenhower, General George Marshall, autographed portraits of Mash and Hessler, and photo of sketches by M.H. Herrin and Enit Kaufman along with correspondence between King and a publisher disputing the state of completion of the sketch for inclusion in a book; two newspaper front pages featuring King.

NHF-137-M
16 black and white photos, 3 oversize photos, and 1 oversize panorama of ships and locations including: Submarine Base New London, Connecticut, 1925; aircraft carriers (possibly USS Lexington (CV-2) and USS Saratoga (CV-3) seen from a beach; damaged ships, unidentified, possibly at Pearl Harbor; Golden Gate bridge; construction of an unidentified airfield along a waterfront; unidentified building, with office interiors; unidentified damaged building, possibly in the Middle East;

NHF-137-N
21 black and white oversize photos of Admiral King meeting with individuals, including Admiral William Halsey, Admiral Nimitz, Secretary Knox, and others.

NHF-137-O
18 black and white photos of USS Dauntless (PG-61), including interior photos of flag quarters, while docked at Washington Navy Yard.

NHF-137-P
Publicity booklet about Grand Junction, Colorado, sent to King by W.M. Wood, Secretary of Chamber of Commerce. It describes the city, climate, housing, transportation. Contains a letter from Wood, November 1942, asking King to consider Grand Junction as a US training station.

NHF-137-Q
43 black and white photos of Fleet Admiral King’s visit to his hometown of Lorain, Ohio, 20 September 1945, to celebrate Victory Day. Many unidentified individuals. Parade. Formal dinner for King. Newspaper clipping scrapbook about the event. Many duplicates in this set.

NHF-137-R
Miscellaneous paper materials: news clipping of King’s obituary;  2 postcards dated 1955 from King to his wife; “The First Days of the Navy Department” by Robert G. Albion; Commencement Program for Naval Postgraduate School, 1956; envelop from M.H. Herrin to King, 1942; sheet music for “Commander in Chief U.S. Navy” by H.B. Longaker; cover for U.S. Frigate Constellation Restoration Committee folder.
NHF-137-S
24 black and white photos of military leaders touring World War II battle sites: Saipan, Guam, Iwo Jima, European Theater. Seen are: Secretary Forrestal, Admiral King, Admiral Nimitz, Admiral Spruance, General Marshall, General Eisenhower, General Arnold.

NHF-137-T
5 black and white photos and 3 oversize photos of Admiral King looking at a map of Midway Island circa March-August 1942, along with Rear Admiral John Newton, Vice Admiral Russell Wilson, Vice Admiral Frederick Horne, Rear Admiral Richard Edwards.

For associated textual materials, please visit the donated personal papers collection of Ernest J. King

Topic
  • Ceremonies. Celebrations, Commemorations
Document Type
  • Photograph
Wars & Conflicts
  • World War II 1939-1945
File Formats
  • Image (gif, jpg, tiff)
Location of Archival Materials