The Naval Order of the United States was established in 1890 as a hereditary organization in the United States for members of the American sea services. Its primary mission is to encourage research and writing on naval and maritime subjects, preserve documents, portraits, and other records of prominent figures, deeds and memories, of American naval and maritime history.
The Naval Order of the United States traces its origin to the initiative of Charles Calhoun Philbrook, Charles Frederick Bacon Philbrook, and Franklin Senter Frisbie, who met in Boston, Massachusetts, on 4 July 1890 to take the first step toward establishing an organization that was originally named the Naval Commandery of the United States of America. Its purpose was to commemorate the seagoing services of their ancestors' naval service. The original eligibility for membership was based upon service "in any of the wars or in any battle in which the United States Navy or Marine Corps has participated, or who served as above in connection with the Revenue or Privateer Services." Four months later, on the 115th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps, 13 November 1890, the organization was established on a permanent basis and branches were established in several states. Three years later on 19 July 1893, the Naval Commandery began discussions with a smaller organization that had similar aims: the Naval Legion of the United States. The result of these talks resulted in the formal merger of the two organizations as the Naval Order of the United States. The formal meeting of the new and expanded organization took place on 15 August 1893 at Faneuil Hall, Boston, where the Naval Order adopted its constitution that created local commanderies in the various states with members becoming Companions of the Naval Order.
Regular Members - Any United States citizen, who has served or is serving as an officer or enlisted member of the United States Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Coast Guard and any other federal military maritime service of the United States or its allies and their descendants over 18 years of age, who are US citizens.Associate Members - Spouses of present and deceased regular members, and those, other than United States citizens, who have served or are serving honorably as commissioned officers in an allied seagoing service. Also, the Naval Order may confer either associate or honorary membership upon individuals who are not otherwise eligible for regular or associate membership, if they have distinguished themselves in the interest of naval service.The Order presents a number of annual awards as part of its furtherance of its mission, including three awards to the U. S. Naval Academy midshipmen who score the highest in competitive examinations on national and international political science issues; an award to the outstanding graduate of the Chief of Naval Air Training Command Flight Officer program; awards to the outstanding midshipmen and cadets at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, at the State University of New York Maritime College, the California Maritime Academy, and at Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps programs at various universities, as well as an award to the outstanding junior officer instructor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
The Naval Order’s most prestigious awards are:
Admiral of the Navy George Dewey AwardDistinguished Sea Service AwardAwards by Local Commanderies
Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature, awarded by the New York CommanderyAdmiral Nimitz Leadership Award, awarded by the Texas CommanderyCommanders-General of the Naval Order of the United States
The Commanders-General of the Naval Order of the United States have been:
Charles Calhoun Philbrook, 1890–1893Lieutenant Commander John Codman Soley, 1893–1895Rear Admiral John Grimes Walker, 1895-1907Admiral of the Navy George Dewey, 1907-1917Rear Admiral Francis J. Higginson, 1917-1925Captain Herbert Livingston Satterlee, 1925-1928Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves, 1928-1931Rear Admiral Reginald R. Belknap, 1931-1937Commander Frederick Bernard Craven, 1937-1943Captain James Harvey Tomb, 1943-1946Vice Admiral William Augustus Read, 1946-1949Commander Charles Hann, Jr., 1949-1958Rear Admiral Thurston H. James, 1958-1961Captain Douglas Wilson Dodge, 1962-1964Captain Jeremiah Francis O'Shea, 1964-1966Admiral Joseph James Clark, 1966-1969Captain Robert Granville Burke, 1969-1971Captain Malcolm Townsend Munger, 1971-1973Rear Admiral Alban Weber,Captain Robert Bashford Bolt,Captain Edward Sydney Anderson,Captain Albert Frederick Kempe,Lieutenant Commander Raymond Edward Cross,Rear Admiral Winston Holbrook Weese,Commander Stanley John Majka,Captain Federick Daniel Carl,Captain John Charles Rice, Jr.,Captain Wallace Howard Lloyd, Jr.,Captain William Richard Bremer,Rear Admiral William Firman Merlin,Captain James Franklin Brooke III,Rear Admiral Lester Robert Smith,Rear Admiral Thomas Francis Brown, IIICaptain Fred Case Hawkins, Jr.Captain Carter Barry ConlinCaptain Kenneth Albin JohnsonCaptain Gregory F. Streeter, 2009–2011Rear Admiral Douglas M. Moore, Jr., 2011–2013Captain Vance H. Morrison, 2013-2015Members of the Naval Order have included Presidents, members of the Cabinet and high ranking naval and marine officers. Some of the most notable have included:
Richard M. Nixon (Commander, USNR)George H.W. Bush (Lieutenant, USNR)Ronald W. Reagan (Honorary)Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter were all eligible for companionship in the Order but did not join. Former president George W. Bush is eligible to join the Order as a hereditary member.
George P. Shultz (Captain, USMC) - Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of LaborCharles F. Adams IIICharles Edison - Governor of New Jersey and son of Thomas EdisonPaul B. Fay (Lieutenant, USNR)James V. Forrestal - First Secretary of DefenseGordon R. EnglandFred KorthJohn F. Lehman (Commander, USNR)J. William Middendorf II (Lieutenant, USNR) - Ambassador to the NetherlandsTruman H. Newberry (Lieutenant Commander, USNR) - United States SenatorJohn L. SullivanCurtis D. Wilbur (Ensign, USN)David I. Walsh - United States senator and governor of Massachusetts(Individuals listed are officers of either the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps unless otherwise specified.)
Admiral of the Navy George Dewey, insignia no. 207 - Hero of the Battle of Manila BayFleet Admiral William D. Leahy, no. 2508 - Presidential chief of staffFleet Admiral Ernest J. King, no. 2424 - Chief of Naval OperationsFleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, no. 2427 - Chief of Naval OperationsFleet Admiral William F. Halsey, no. 2419 - Commander of 3rd Fleet during World War IIAdmiral Jeremy M. Boorda - Chief of Naval OperationsAdmiral Arleigh A. Burke - Chief of Naval OperationsAdmiral Richard L. Conolly, no. 2441 - President of the United States Naval War CollegeAdmiral William J. Crowe - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffAdmiral Albert Gleaves, no. 756Admiral Thomas C. Hart, no. 2420 - Commander of the United States Asiatic FleetAdmiral Thomas B. Hayward, no. 5670 - Chief of Naval OperationsAdmiral H. Kent Hewitt, no. 2421 - Commander of amphibious forces in the Mediterranean during World War IIAdmiral James L. Holloway, Jr. - Superintendent of the United States Naval AcademyAdmiral James L. Holloway III - Chief of Naval OperationsAdmiral Royal E. Ingersoll, no. 2498 - Atlantic Fleet Commander in World War TwoAdmiral Frank Kelso - Chief of Naval OperationsAdmiral Isaac C. Kidd, Jr., no. 5445 - Commander in Chief of Atlantic FleetAdmiral Husband E. Kimmel, no. 2578 - Pacific Fleet Commander at Pearl HarborAdmiral Thomas C. Kinkaid, no. 2482 - Commander of 7th Fleet during World War TwoAdmiral John S. McCain, Jr. - Senior naval officer in VietnamAdmiral Luke McNamee - President of the United States Naval War CollegeAdmiral Thomas H. Moorer - Chief of Naval Operations and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffAdmiral Jesse B. Oldendorf - Commander at the Battle of Surigao StraitAdmiral Arthur W. Radford, no. 2430 - Vice Chief of Naval Operations and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffAdmiral Forrest P. Sherman, no. 2447 - Chief of Naval OperationsAdmiral William S. Sims, no. 923 - Commander of naval forces in Europe during the First World WarAdmiral Raymond A. Spruance, no. 2544 - President of the Naval War CollegeAdmiral Carlisle A. H. Trost - Chief of Naval OperationsAdmiral Richmond K. Turner - Commander of Amphibious Force, South PacificAdmiral James D. Watkins - Chief of Naval OperationsAdmiral Cameron McRae Winslow, no. 324Admiral Harry E. Yarnell - Commander, Asiatic FleetAdmiral Paul A. Yost, Jr. - Chief of Naval OperationsAdmiral Elmo Zumwalt - Chief of Naval OperationsVice Admiral Wilder D. Baker, no. 3022 - Commander, 11th Naval DistrictVice Admiral Robert P. Coogan - Commander, Third FleetVice Admiral Damon W. Cooper, no. 5123 - First Chief of Naval Reserve Vice Admiral Richard H. Cruzen - Commanding officer of Operation HighjumpVice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely, Jr., no. 6278 - First African-American admiralVice Admiral Diego E. Hernández - Vice Commander of NORADVice Admiral C. Turner Joy - Superintendent of the United States Naval AcademyVice Admiral Fitzhugh Lee IIIVice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, no. 2434 - Commander of Submarine Force Pacific Fleet during World War IIVice Admiral Joseph Metcalf IIIVice Admiral Charles B. Momsen - Inventor of the "Momsen Lung"Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale - Medal of Honor Recipient and President of the Naval War CollegeVice Admiral Joseph Taussig, no. 1089 - Commander of first division of US Navy destroyers to be deployed to Europe during the First World WarVice Admiral Frederick M. Trapnell, no. 1428AVice Admiral Arthur L. Willard, no. 876Rear Admiral John R. BartlettRear Admiral George E. Belknap, no. 159Rear Admiral Reginald R. BelknapRear Admiral Richard E. Byrd - Antarctic explorer and Medal of Honor recipientRear Admiral French Ensor Chadwick, no. 400Rear Admiral Norman von Heldreich FarquharRear Admiral Bradley A. Fiske, no. 866Rear Admiral Caspar F. Goodrich - President of the Naval War CollegeRear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd - Medal of Honor recipientRear Admiral Stephen B. Luce - Founder of the Naval War CollegeRear Admiral Barbara E. McGann - Commander, US Navy Recruiting CommandRear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, no. 339 - Influential naval theoristRear Admiral George W. Melville, no. 116 - Arctic explorer and naval engineerRear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison, no. 2276 - Harvard professor and renowned naval historianRear Admiral William T. Sampson, no. 359 - Commander at the Battle of Santiago de CubaRear Admiral Winfield S. Schley, no. 228 - Hero of the Battle of Santiago de CubaRear Admiral Thomas O. Selfridge, no. 352Rear Admiral Charles Stockton, no. 345Rear Admiral John Grimes Walker - Chief of Bureau of Navigation and 3rd Commander-General of the NOUSRear Admiral John L. Worden, no. 24 - Commander of USS Monitor during her battle with CSS VirginiaCaptain Vincent Astor - Heir to John Jacob Astor IVCaptain Edward L. Beach, Jr., no. 7154 - Commanding officer of USS Triton on first submerged voyage around the worldCaptain William McCarty Little, no. 142 - Developer of naval war gamingCommander Thomas B. Buell, no. 5684Commander Richard M. Nixon, no. 2514 - President of the United StatesCommander Marsden J. Perry, no. 1335Lieutenant Commander William Vincent Astor, no. 624 - Son of John Jacob Astor IVLieutenant Commander John McCloy, no. 635 - Two time recipient of the Medal of HonorLieutenant Orme Wilson, Jr., no. 1334Surgeon Gardner W. Allen, no. 360Lieutenant George H.W. Bush - President of the United StatesLieutenant Robert Guestier Goelet, no. 1726 - son of real estate heir Robert Walton GoeletLieutenant John B. Hattendorf - Naval War College professor of naval history and strategyLieutenant Stephen B. Luce, Jr., no. 565Lieutenant J. William Middendorf, no. 2031 - Secretary of the NavyLieutenant Junius Spencer Morgan III, no. 585 - Grandson of financier J.P. MorganMaster Robert Means Thompson - Commander in chief of MOLLUSEnsign Juan Trippe, no. 831 - Founder of Pan American AirwaysGunner Cornelius Cronin - Medal of Honor recipientMasters Mate John F. Bickford - Medal of Honor recipientMasters Mate William D. Newland, no. 178 - Medal of Honor recipientChief Quartermaster Daniel D. Stevens, no. 58 - Medal of Honor recipientStorekeeper 3rd Class Isidor Solis Cohen, Jr., no. 558General Alfred M. Gray, Jr. - Commandant of the Marine CorpsGeneral Thomas Holcomb - Commandant of the Marine CorpsGeneral Paul X. Kelley - Commandant of the Marine CorpsGeneral Walter Boomer, no. 7433 - Assistant Commandant of the Marine CorpsGeneral Randolph PateGeneral Christian F. Schilt - Medal of Honor recipient and Director of Marine Corps AviationGeneral Holland Smith - Commandant of the Marine CorpsGeneral Oliver P. SmithGeneral Alexander Vandegrift, no. 2527 - Medal of Honor Recipient and Commandant of the Marine CorpsGeneral Anthony C. Zinni - Commander of United States Central CommandLieutenant General Victor H. Krulak - Commander of Marine Corps units in VietnamLieutenant General Alan Shapley, no. 2082 - Commander of 3rd Marine DivisionBrigadier General Charles L. McCawley, no. 334 - Recipient of the Marine Corps Brevet MedalCaptain Tyrone Power, no. 2310 - Actor and transport pilot during battles of Iwo Jima and OkinawaCorporal Hermann Wilhelm Kuchneister, no. 491 - Medal of Honor recipientAdmiral Russell R. Waesche, USCG, no. 989 - Commandant of the United States Coast Guard during World War TwoMaster Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Vincent W. Patton III - Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast GuardBishop William Stevens Perry, no. 50 - Episcopal Bishop of IowaProfessor Robert G. Albion, no. 3322Professor E. B. Potter, no. 5793Dr. William S. Dudley, no. 7336Mr. Howland H. Pell, Jr., no. 694