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Harold Gardiner Bowen Papers
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Public Policy Papers. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Vice Admiral Harold Gardiner Bowen served as the first Chief of Naval Research for the United States Navy. Born in 1883 in Providence, Rhode Island, Bowen graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1905 and was commissioned in 1907. After a stint as chief of the Bureau of Engineers, Bowen was appointed director of the Naval Research Laboratory in 1939 and served in that capacity until 1942. Bowen was decorated with the Distinguished Service Medal for his contributions to military research. Bowen died in 1965.
Consists of selected papers of Vice-Admiral Bowen including speeches, articles, documents, printed matter, and manuscripts for his book Ships, Machinery, and Mossbacks, The Autobiography of a Naval Engineer (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1954). The papers primarily refer to his various activities as director of the Naval Research Laboratory (1939-1942), special assistant to the Secretary of the Navy (1939-1947), chief of the Office of Naval Research (1946-1947), and executive secretary of the Thomas Alva Edison Foundation. Included are files of naval engineering data and research concerning boilers, submarines, destroyers, turbines, radar, and naval patents, and material related to wartime industrial management, plant seizure, and the organization of navy yards.
This is an unprocessed collection and remains in its original arrangement.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
This is an unprocessed collection. The contents list provided is a preliminary inventory.
Biography written by Jessica Marati, '08.
Organization
- United States. Navy
- United States. Office of Naval Research
- Thomas Alva Edison Foundation
- Naval Research Laboratory (U.S.)
Subject
- Marine engineering -- United States -- 20th century
- Naval art and science -- 20th century
- Naval research -- United States -- 20th century
- Navy-yards and naval stations -- United States -- 20th century
- World war, 1939-1945 -- Equipment and supplies
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Radar
Occupation
- Publisher
- Public Policy Papers
- Finding Aid Date
- 2001
- Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
-
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, any copyright vested in the donor has passed to The Trustees of Princeton University and researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of donor-created materials within the collection. For materials in the collection not created by the donor, or where the material is not an original, the copyright is likely not held by the University. In these instances, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have a question about who owns the copyright for an item, you may request clarification by contacting us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
Includes Appointments (1946); Correspondence A-Z; Personal Files, etc.
Physical Description1 box
Includes Autobiography and Biographical Data
Physical Description1 box
Includes Articles and Speeches by Harold Gardiner Bowen; Photographs
Physical Description1 box
4 boxes
Re: Boilers, Submarines Turbines, etc.
Physical Description1 box
Re: Detroyers
Physical Description1 box
Re: Radar, Research
Physical Description1 box
Re: Scientific Information Policy; Scientists, etc.
Physical Description1 box
Includes Organization of Navy Yards; Shipbuilding Companies
Physical Description1 box
2 boxes
Includes Allis Chalmers; American Manufacturing Co., Fort Worth, Texas; Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.; General Cable Co.; Goodyear, etc.
Physical Description1 box
Includes Lord Manufacturing Co.
Physical Description1 box
Includes Publicity; "Radio Reminiscences" by A. Hoyt Taylor (printed)
Physical Description1 box
Includes Scrapbook
Physical Description1 box