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Commissioning Certificates of US Navy Officers in the Navy Department Library

Presidential Signature Term of Office Date Document Signed Name of Officer Rank
         
**Continental Congress 1774-1789 8 December 1775 Abraham Whipple Captain
**Signed by John Hancock        
         
George Washington 1789-1797 ------- None in collection. -------
         
John Adams 1797-1801 31 October 1799 Thomas Chew Purser
         
Thomas Jefferson 1801-1809 14 February 1807 Melancthon T. Woolsey Lieutenant
         
James Monroe 1817-1825 13 January 1825 David G. Farragut Lieutenant
         
John Q. Adams 1825-1829 1 December 1828 John A. Dahlgren Midshipman
         
Andrew Jackson 1829-1837 1 June 1832 John A. Dahlgren Passed Midshipman
         
Martin Van Buren 1837-1841 21 March 1837 John A. Dahlgren Lieutenant
         
William Harrison 1841 ------- None in collection -------
         
John Tyler 1841-1845 14 March 1842 Samuel Miller Lieutenant Colonel US Marine Corps
         
James Polk 1845-1849 12 April 1845 William Wood Chief Engineer
    15 March 1848 Kidder Breese Midshipman
         
Zachary Taylor 1849-1850 ------- None in collection -------
         
Millard Fillmore 1850-1853 15 November 1850 Eugene Mack Gunner
         
Franklin Pierce 1853-1857 2 October 1855 John A. Dahlgren Commander
    27 June 1856 William A. Kirkland Midshipman
         
James Buchanan 1857-1861 27 January 1858 William Low Lieutenant
         
Abraham Lincoln 1861-1865 1 June 1861 John W. Phillip Midshipman
    ** 29 September 1862 William T. Swinburne Midshipman
    21 February 1863 James M. Duncan Commander
    21 February 1863 Silas Casey, Jr. Lieutenant
    21 February 1863 John A.Dahlgren Captain
    ** 11 May 1865 N. Beach Clark Assistant Engineer
** Signed by Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy under President Lincoln
         
Andrew Johnson 1865-1869 8 September 1863 Percival C. Pope Captain
    12 July 1866 Charles J. Barclay Master
    23 July 1866 Daniel A. Smith, Jr. Assistant Pay-Master
    23 July 1866 Daniel A. Smith, Jr. Assistant Pay-Master
    26 July 1866 John W. Phillip Lieutenant Commander
    26 July 1866 Frances M. Ramsay Commander
    26 July 1866 Robert S. Taylor 1st Assistant Engineer
    20 December 1866 Benjamin E. Long Ensign
    2 February 1867 Charles J. Barclay Lieutenant
    2 March 1867 Albert G. Clarey Captain
    12 March 1868 Benjamin Long Edes Master
    12 March 1868 Charles J. Barclay Lieutenant Commander
    22 July 1868 John A. Dahlgren Chief, Bureau of Ordnance
         
Ulysses Grant 1869-1877 26 March 1869 William A. Kirkland Commander
    9 December 1870 Daniel A. Smith, Jr. Paymaster
Navy/Lieutenant
    17 March 1873 George Robeson Secretary of the Navy
    27 March 1873 William Wood Chief - Bureau of Steam
    9 January 1877 Edward Dorn Ensign
         
Rutherford Hayes 1877-1881 27 January 1880 Michael Bradley Medical Inspector Commander
         
James Garfield 1881 ------- None in collection -------
         
Chester Arthur 1881-1885 22 October 1881 Edward Dorn Master
    20 December 1881 Charles J. Barclay Commander
    17 April 1882 William L. Rodgers Ensign
    19 May 1883 Edward Dorn Lieutenant (junior grade)
         
Grover Cleveland 1885-1889 3 March 1888 Edward Dorn Lieutenant
         
Benjamin Harrison 1889-1893 22 July 1890 Henry A. Wiley Ensign
         
Grover Cleveland 1893-1897 14 March 1894 William L. Rodgers Lieutenant
    13 October 1896 Daniel A. Smith Pay Inspector of the Navy Commander [temporary]
    2 February 1897 Charles J. Barclay Captain
    5 February 1897 Daniel A. Smith Pay Inspector of the Navy Commander (permanent)
         
William McKinley 1897-1901 9 June 1897 Washington B. Grove Asst. Surg./Ensign
    7 February 1898 Karl Rohrer Lieutenent Commander
    21 November 1898 Henry A. Wiley Lieutenent (junior grade)
    24 April 1899 Edward Dorn Lieutenent Commander
    8 May 1899 Henry A. Wiley Lieutenant
    19 February 1900 Daniel A. Smith Pay Director of the Navy/Captain
    23 November 1900 Karl Rohrer Commander [temporary]
    29 January 1901 Karl Rohrer Commander
    11 March 1901 William L. Rodgers Lieutenent Commander
    12 March 1901 Washington B. Grove Assistant Surgeon/Lieutenant (junior grade)
         
Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909 18 March 1902 Washington B. Grove Assistant Surgeon/Lieutenant (junior grade)
    1 August 1902 Julius F.Hellweg Ensign
    24 January 1903 Washington B. Grove Surgeon/Lieutenant
    10 June 1903 Washington B. Grove Assistant Surgeon/Lieutenant Commander
    20 November 1903 Charles J. Barclay Rear Admiral
    14 July 1905 Karl Rohrer Captain [temporary]
    8 September 1905 Julius F.Hellweg Lieutenant (junior grade)
    14 February 1906 Julius F.Hellweg Lieutenant (junior grade)
    8 February 1906 Karl Rohrer Captain
    14 February 1906 Julius F.Hellweg Lieutenant
    10 May 1906 William L. Rodgers Commander
    28 May 1906 Nathan Sargent Captain
    26 June 1906 William L. Rodgers Commander
    18 February 1908 Chester W. Nimitz Ensign
    13 January 1909 Howard Bemis Ensign
         
William Taft 1909-1913 27 December 1909 William L. Rodgers Captain
    12 March 1910 Chester W. Nimitz Lieutenant (junior grade)
    12 March 1910 Chester W. Nimitz Lieutenant
    13 April 1911 Karl Rohrer Commander [Retired]
    24 October 1911 Howard Bemis Lieutenant (junior grade)
    3 August 1912 Julius F. Hellweg Lieutenant Commander
         
Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921 19 June 1914 Frank P. Thomas Ensign
    19 August 1915 Howard Bemis Lieutenant
    4 April 1916 Howard Bemis Lieutenant
    27 May 1916 Howard Bemis Lieutenant
    16 March 1917 Washington B. Grove Medical Inspector
    16 March 1917 Chester W. Nimitz Lieutenant Commander
    16 March 1917 William L. Rodgers Rear Admiral
    19 June 1917 Frank P. Thomas Lieutenant (junior grade)
    22 June 1917 Julius F. Hellweg Commander
    25 February 192 Harold Bemis Lieutenant Commander
    ** 30 September 1920 Alfred D. Boone Ensign
** Signed Gordan Woodbury Acting Secretary of the Navy under President Wilson.        
         
Warren Harding 1921-1923 15 August 1921 Henry A. Wiley Rear Admiral
    15 December 1921 Chester W. Nimitz Commander
    25 January 1922 Julius F. Hellweg Captain
    27 September 1922 Harold Bemis Commander
         
Calvin Coolidge 1923-1929 4 March 1924 Arleigh Burke Ensign
    1 February 1926 Frank P. Thomas Lieutenant Commander
    25 December 1927 Chester W. Nimitz Captain
    ** 31 December 1930 Arleigh Burke Lieutenant
** Signed By Curtis D. Wilber Secretary of the Navy Under President Coolidge        
         
Herbert Hoover 1929-1933 31 December 1930 Arleigh A. Burke Lieutenant
         
Franklin Roosevelt 1933-1945 12 February 1934 Harold Bemis Captain
    ** 26 August 1935 Frank P. Thomas Commander
** Signed by H .L. Roosevelt, Acting Secretary of the Navy Under President Roosevelt        
    19 January 1939 Chester W. Nimitz Rear Admiral
    23 January 1939 Arleigh A. Burke Lieutenant Commander
    ** 21 April 1942 Frank P. Thomas Captain
** Signed by Henry Knox, Secretary of the Navy Under President Roosevelt        
    14 January 1942 Chester W. Nimitz Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet
    16 February 1943 Arleigh A. Burke Commander
    19 May 1944 Chester W. Nimitz Admiral (temporary)
    10 December 1944 Chester W. Nimitz Fleet Admiral (temporary)
         
Harry Truman 1945-1953 2 April 1946 Chester W. Nimitz Fleet Admiral (Permanent)
         
Dwight Eisenhower 1953-1961 12 August 1959 Arleigh Burke Chief of Naval Operations

 

Note: Most Commissioning Certificates are located in the manuscript collection map case, drawer number seven. Others are shelved under individual personal names such as Captain Kidder Breese, Chief Engineer William Wood, and Admirals Arleigh Burke and Chester W. Nimitz.

 

Published: Wed Jan 30 12:14:43 EST 2019