Naval History and Heritage Command

Finding aid (Word)

Biographical Note

Harriet Harris's career with the Navy began in 1918 when her name was submitted by the Red Cross for possible service in the Navy's hospitals. Officially appointed a Reserve Nurse in the Navy Nurse Corps on 30 March 1918, Harris was ordered to active duty at the Naval Hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts. She served in this post for just over two years until she was transferred to Great Lakes Naval Hospital in November 1920.

Harris resigned her appointment in 1921, but was reappointed at her own request only a month later. Following her reappointment, Harris returned to duty in Chelsea. She continued her service as a Reserve Nurse until 1932, holding billets in shore hospitals at San Diego, Mare Island, and Pearl Harbor and on board USS Chaumont and USS Relief.

In January 1932, Harris's appointment as a Reserve Nurse was rescinded and she was named a Nurse, USN. She held this designation in the Navy Nurse Corps until being placed on the Retired list on 1 May 1933.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains Harris's papers relating to her career as a Navy nurse as well as materials that she collected herself. There are two folders of correspondence, consisting of Harris's orders and official correspondence. She collected clippings about the history of Navy nursing, Navy ships, and five passes from her service. Completing the collection is a scrapbook of clippings from the American Journal of Nursing listing new appointments, transfers, discharges, and deaths in the Navy Nurse Corps from 1933 to 1958.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as Papers of Harriet A. Harris, Archives Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.

Subject Headings (LCSH)

United States. Navy--Nurses.
United States. Navy--Women.
United States. Navy Dept. Nurse Corps.
United States. Navy--History--Sources.

For associated photographic materials, please visit the photo archive donated collections related to Harriet Harris

Please see the below collections for addtional nursing related materials:

Artz, Lieutenant Commander Doris M. Papers
Behr, Esther N. Papers  
Bowman, Josephine Beatrice Photo Collection
Colebourn Cannon, Emma Papers
Leonhardt, Elisabeth Papers
Mackenzie, Anne Photo Collection
McConaha, Navy Nurse Jessie Papers
Records of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Nurse Corps
Saigon Naval Hospital Photo Collection
Stafford, Marion B. Papers