JOSEPHUS DANIELS - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 03/31/1920 - HFSID 321013

JOSEPHUS DANIELS
Short letter as Secretary of the Navy, regarding the sinking of the Naval ship USS Alcedo
Typed Letter signed: "Josephus Daniels" as Secretary of the Navy, 1 page, 5¼x6½. Washington, 1920 March 31. On official letterhead to George Kunz In full: "I have received your letter of March 27th in which you relate the incident at the time of the sinking of the Alcedo, but you make no mention of the name of the young man concerned. If you will please give me this information, the matter will be looked into. Sincerely yours". Josephus Daniels (1862-1948) served as Wilson's Secretary of the Navy from 1913-1921- prior to which he was a successful newspaper owner and editor. As a partisan Democrat, he used his control of the Raleigh News & Observer to advance the party causes. He launched a "White Supremacy" campaign in North Carolina that led to Democrat victories in 1898 and 1900 and the disfranchisement of African-Americans. In 1898, he was credited with inciting the Wilmington Race Riots-years later he was said to have regretted his stance. While Secretary of the Navy, he banned alcohol from US Navy ships and ruled that no prostitution would be permitted within five miles of any naval base. He later served as Ambassador to Mexico (1933-1941) under FDR. The USS Josephus Daniels, commissioned from 1965-1994, was named for him as are schools and buildings throughout North Carolina. The USS Alcedo was purchased by the United States Navy for World War I service in 1917. Torpedoed and sunk on November 5, 1917, the converted yacht was used on rescue missions to retrieve survivors from the sunken steamer Antilles and transport Finland. Normal mailing folds. Lightly toned. Fine condition.