Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936

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William S. Sims, U.S. Navy admiral, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1882. He was president of the naval War College in 1917 and from 1919-1922. During WWI, he was CO, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe

From the description of Letter, January 8, 1918. (Naval War College). WorldCat record id: 731199382

William S. Sims was born in 1858 in Port Hope, Ontario. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1880. He served as president of the naval War College, 1917, 1919-1922 and during WWI was CO of US Naval Forces in European waters. Sims wrote on naval matters and worked to improve naval gunnery and naval construction. He died in Boston, MA in 1936.

From the description of Letter, April 9, 1929. (Naval War College). WorldCat record id: 739102949

From the description of Letter, February 25, 1924. (Naval War College). WorldCat record id: 733263270

Navigation journal kept by Ensign Sims in USS Saratoga, 1891-1892, with later entries in 1896 and 1897. The journal contains navigation problems with detailed explanations, together with drawings and mathematical calculations. The journal was meant to serve as a guide to sailors. Prints of ships are tipped in the volume and a small silk U.S. flag is contained therein.

From the description of Navigation journal, 1891-1892, 1896-1897. (Naval War College). WorldCat record id: 707728840

William S. Sims, U.S. Naval Officer, was born in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1880. He was president of the Naval War College, 1917, 1919-1922 and CO, U.S. Naval Forces, European waters, 1917-1918.

From the description of Letter, October 16, 1924. (Naval War College). WorldCat record id: 742576317

From the description of Letter, June, 1935. (Naval War College). WorldCat record id: 46383164

From the description of Letter, January 29, 1921. (Naval War College). WorldCat record id: 17914007

From the description of Letter, April 15, 1928. (Naval War College). WorldCat record id: 17974870

Sims earned his Harvard AB in 1933 and his AM in 1937.

From the description of Papers in Government 8b, 1934-1935. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 228511649

Naval officer.

From the description of William Sowden Sims papers, 1856-1951 (bulk 1900-1936). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71060530

William Sowden Sims, U.S. Naval officer, was born in Port Hope, Ontario on October 15, 1858. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1880 and served in the China Station, as naval attaché in Paris and St. Petersburg, 1887-1900, and as naval aide to President Theodore Roosevelt, 1908-1909. He attended the naval War College in 1911-1913, and served as its president in 1917 and 1919-1922. He was CO, U.S. Naval Forces, European Waters, 1917-1919. Author of the Pulitzer Prize winning book Victory at Sea, he died on September 28, 1936.

From the description of Papers, 1876-1925. (Naval War College). WorldCat record id: 759396225

William S. Sims, U.S. naval officer, was born in Port Hope, Ontario in 1858. He served as president of the Naval War College in 1917 and from 1919-1922. He was naval representative to Great Britain in 1917 and received command of US forces in European waters after war was declared in April of that year.

From the description of Letter, May 16, 1917. (Naval War College). WorldCat record id: 730446569

William S. Sims, Admiral, was born in 1858 and died in 1936. He was CO of U.S. Naval Forces, Europe, 1917-1918, and president of the Naval War College, 1919-1922.

From the description of Letter, 1920. (Naval War College). WorldCat record id: 17928621

Biographical Note

  • 1858, Oct. 15: Born, Port Hope, Ontario, Canada
  • 1880: Graduated., United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
  • 1895 - 1896 : Intelligence officer, Charleston on the China Station
  • 1896 - 1900 : Naval attaché, Paris, France; Madrid, Spain; and St. Petersburg, Russia
  • 1900 - 1902 : Duty in the Kentucky, Monterey, and Brooklyn on the China Station and on the staff of commander in chief, Asiatic Fleet
  • 1902 - 1909 : Inspector of target practice, Bureau of Navigation
  • 1905: Married Anne Hitchcock
  • 1909 - 1911 : Commanded Minnesota
  • 1911 - 1913 : Student and instructor, United States Naval War College, Newport, R.I.
  • 1913 - 1915 : Commanded Torpedo Flotilla, Atlantic Fleet
  • 1915 - 1917 : Commanded Nevada
  • 1917: Promoted to rear admiral President, United States Naval War College Commandant, Second Naval District Sent on secret advisory mission to Europe
  • 1917 - 1919 : Commanded U.S. naval forces in European theater
  • 1919 - 1922 : President, United States Naval War College
  • 1920: Published with Burton J. Hendrick The Victory at Sea. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday
  • 1922: Retired from U.S. Navy
  • 1934: Published “Promotion by Selection,” in Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute, 60 (June 1934)
  • 1935: Published Promotion by Selection in the Navy. Boston: Mass.
  • 1936, Sept. 26: Died, Boston, Mass.

From the guide to the William Sowden Sims Papers, 1856-1951, (bulk 1900-1936), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)

William Sowden Sims (1858-1936) was born to American parents in Port Hope, Ontario, on October 15, 1858. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1880 and went on to become a respected admiral in the Navy. Sims served as a naval aide to President Theodore Roosevelt from 1908-1909 and later served as the president of the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1917 and 1919-1922. During World War I (1914-1918), Sims served as the commanding officer for all U.S. naval forces in European waters from 1917-1919. His account of the U.S. naval effort during that war, The Victory at sea, earned him the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1921. Admiral William Sowden Sims died on September 28, 1936 in Boston, Massachusetts.

From the guide to the William Sowden Sims papers, Sims (William Sowden) papers, undated, (Redwood Library and Athenaeum)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936. Letter, January 8, 1918. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Henry Croskey Mustin Papers, 1886-1924, (bulk 1903-1920) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Mark Anthony De Wolfe Howe additional papers Houghton Library
creatorOf Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936. Letter, June, 1935. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Houghton Mifflin Company correspondence and records, 1832-1944. Houghton Library
referencedIn Queenstown Association (U.S.) Records, 1913-1980, (bulk 1920-1960) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936. Letter, October 16, 1924. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Howard, Mary R. Oral history typescript reminiscences of her family, including grandfather George Belknap and her father ADM Reginald R. Belknap, CO, Yankee Mining Squadron. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Josephus Daniels Papers, 1829-1948, (bulk 1913-1921) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer. 1860 - 1985. Historical Films. 1914 - 1936. THE VISIT OF PRESIDENT WOODROW WILSON TO ENGLAND, DECEMBER 26-28, 1918 National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Letters sent to Walter Hines Page from various correspondents, English period, 1876-1937. Houghton Library
referencedIn Edgar Huidekoper Wells papers, 1912-1933. Houghton Library
creatorOf Knight, Austin Melvin, 1854-1927. U.S. Naval War College : remarks of the president to the graduating class of June, 1913-14, July 3, 1914. Navy Department Library, Naval History & Heritage Command
creatorOf Records of the Bureau of Ships. 1940 - 1966. Correspondence with Admiral William S. Sims National Archives at Washington, D.C
referencedIn Wall, Bernhardt, 1872-1956. World War I portraits [manuscript], 1918-1919. University of Virginia. Library
creatorOf Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936. Letter, April 15, 1928. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Geoge Barr Baker Papers, 1919-1932 Hoover Institution Archives
creatorOf Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936. Letter, 1920. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn "March of Time" Collection. 1934 - 1951. "March of Time" Assorted Films. 1935 - 1953. The Ramparts We Watch National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Herald Tribune. Obituary of William Sims, September 28, 1936. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel. 1798 - 2007. Moving Images Relating to Naval Activities. 1942 - 1947. THE VOYAGE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO FRANCE National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Naval War College (U.S.). [Diploma of Captain E.T. Pollock], June 1920. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Hudson, Manley Ottmer, 1886-1960. Papers, 1894-1960 Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936. Letter, January 29, 1921. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Craven, Thomas T. (Thomas Tingey), 1873-1950. Papers, 1842-1969 (bulk 1917-1945). Library of Congress
referencedIn Amy Lowell correspondence, 1883-1927 (inclusive), 1910-1925 (bulk). Houghton Library
referencedIn Sims, Anne Hitchcock. Note, [n.d.] Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Tracy Barrett Kittredge Papers, 1910-1957 Hoover Institution Archives
referencedIn McNair, Frederick Vallette, 1882-1962. Sims : orders to London, England. Navy Department Library, Naval History & Heritage Command
creatorOf Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936. Correspondence with Edgar Fahs Smith, 1919-1920. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Thomas T. Craven Papers, 1842-1969, 1917-1945 Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn William Shepherd Benson Papers, circa 1791-1952, (bulk 1915-1928) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf William Sowden Sims Papers, 1856-1951, (bulk 1900-1936) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Kittredge, Tracy Barrett. Tracy Barrett Kittredge papers, 1910-1957. Stanford University, Hoover Institution Library
referencedIn Henry Adams autograph album, 1833-1939. Houghton Library
referencedIn Morison, Anne Sims, 1914-. Memories of a child's life in the president's house at the Naval War College, 1919-1922. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
creatorOf Sims, William Sowden. Papers in Government 8b, 1934-1935. Harvard University Archives.
creatorOf Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936. Papers, 1876-1925. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
creatorOf William Sowden Sims papers, Sims (William Sowden) papers, undated Redwood Library & Athenaeum
creatorOf Records of Naval Operating Forces. 1849 - 1997. Historical Files National Archives at Washington, D.C
referencedIn Land, Emory Scott, 1879-1971. Emory Scott Land papers, 1901-1972. Library of Congress
referencedIn Rodgers Family Papers, 1788-1944, (bulk 1820-1930) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Oral history typescript entitled history of naval war gaming at the Naval War College done by the Naval Historical Collection. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Vaughan, John, 1755-1841. Papers, 1768 - ca. 1936 American Philosophical Society
referencedIn Stephen Bleecker Luce Papers 1799-1955 (bulk 1842-1912) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Letters from various correspondents, 1871-1940. Houghton Library
referencedIn Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer. 1860 - 1985. Historical Films. 1914 - 1936. PRESIDENT WOODROW WILSON ENROUTE TO PARIS ... DEC. 4-15, 1918 National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936. Letter, May 16, 1917. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Dudley Wright Knox Papers, circa 1864-1960, (bulk 1921-1946) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Baker, George Barr, 1870-1948. George Barr Baker papers, 1919-1932. Stanford University, Hoover Institution Library
referencedIn Harvard University Archives Photograph Collection: Portraits, ca. 1852-ca. 2004 Harvard University Archives.
creatorOf Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936. Letter, April 9, 1929. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Simpson, B. Mitchell (Benjamin Mitchell), 1932-. [Unpublished biography of Admiral Harold R. Stark] / by B. Mitchell Simpson, III. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel. 1798 - 2007. Moving Images Relating to Naval Activities. 1942 - 1947. ARMY CAMP AND SOLDIERS National Archives at College Park
referencedIn University of Colorado Medical School Collection. 1918 - 1919. Motion Picture Films. 1918 - 1919. THE U.S. NAVY TORPEDO BOATS National Archives at College Park
referencedIn William Roscoe Thayer papers, 1762-1927 (inclusive), 1872-1921 (bulk) Houghton Library
creatorOf Records of Naval Operating Forces. 1849 - 1997. World War I Era Cablegrams, Radiograms, and Telegrams National Archives at Washington, D.C
referencedIn Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer. 1860 - 1985. Historical Films. 1914 - 1936. RETURN OF THE U.S. FLEET IN DECEMBER 1918 National Archives at College Park
referencedIn Taussig, Joseph K. (Joseph Knefler), 1877-1947. Papers, 1883-1967. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
creatorOf Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936. Letter, February 25, 1924. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
creatorOf Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936. Navigation journal, 1891-1892, 1896-1897. Naval War College, Henry E. Eccles Library
referencedIn Mark L. Bristol Papers, 1882-1939, (bulk 1919-1939) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Autographs, 1900-1966. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
Relation Name
associatedWith Adams, Henry, 1838-1918 person
correspondedWith Arnold, W. F. (Will Ford) person
correspondedWith Babcock, John V. (John Vincent) person
associatedWith Baker, George Barr person
associatedWith Baker, George Barr, 1870-1948. person
correspondedWith Bayly, Lewis, Sir, 1857-1938 person
associatedWith Beal, Boylston Adams, 1865-1944 person
associatedWith Beatty, David Beatty, Earl, 1871-1936. person
correspondedWith Benson, William Shepherd, 1855-1932. person
correspondedWith Bristol, Mark L. (Mark Lambert), 1868-1939. person
associatedWith Charleston (Cruiser) corporateBody
correspondedWith Craven, Thomas T. (Thomas Tingey), 1873-1950. person
correspondedWith Daniels, Josephus, 1862-1948. person
correspondedWith Edwards, W. Atlee person
correspondedWith Fiske, Bradley A. (Bradley Allen), 1854-1942 person
correspondedWith Fullam, William F. (William Freeland), 1855-1926 person
associatedWith Gibson, James N. person
associatedWith Goodrich, Casper F. person
associatedWith Harvard University corporateBody
associatedWith Herald Tribune. corporateBody
associatedWith Hitchcock, Margaret, 1878-1927. person
correspondedWith Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964 person
correspondedWith Houghton Mifflin Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Howard, Mary R. person
correspondedWith Howe, M. A. De Wolfe (Mark Antony De Wolfe), 1864-1960 person
correspondedWith Hudson, Manley Ottmer, 1886- person
associatedWith Kittredge, Tracy B. person
associatedWith Kittredge, Tracy Barrett. person
correspondedWith Kittredge, Tracy B., b. 1891 person
associatedWith Knight, Austin Melvin, 1854-1927. person
correspondedWith Knox, Dudley Wright, 1877-1960. person
correspondedWith Land, Emory Scott, 1879-1971. person
correspondedWith Lowell, Amy, 1874-1925 person
correspondedWith Luce, Stephen Bleecker, 1827-1917 person
correspondedWith Mahan, A. T. (Alfred Thayer), 1840-1914 person
associatedWith McComb, J. Scott. person
correspondedWith McLean, Ridley, 1872-1933 person
associatedWith McNair, Frederick Vallette, 1882-1962. person
associatedWith Morison, Anne Sims, 1914- person
associatedWith Mustin, Henry Croskey, 1874-1923. person
associatedWith Naval War College (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith Page, Walter Hines, 1855-1918 person
correspondedWith Pratt, William Veazie, 1869-1957 person
correspondedWith Pringle, Joel Roberts Poinsett, 1873-1932 person
associatedWith Queenstown Association (U.S.) corporateBody
correspondedWith Queenstown Association (U. S.) Records person
correspondedWith Reuterdahl, Henry, 1871-1925 person
correspondedWith Roberts, Kenneth Lewis, 1885-1957 person
associatedWith Rodgers family family
associatedWith Rodman, Hugh, 1859-1940. person
associatedWith Roosevelt family. family
correspondedWith Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945 person
correspondedWith Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919 person
associatedWith Saratoga (School ship) corporateBody
associatedWith Schwartz, Louis. person
associatedWith Shepley, Sarah Hitchcock, 1870-1957. person
correspondedWith Simms family family
correspondedWith Simms family family
associatedWith Simpson, B. Mitchell (Benjamin Mitchell), 1932- person
associatedWith Sims, Anne, 1914- person
associatedWith Sims, Anne Hitchcock, 1875-1960. person
associatedWith Taussig, Joseph K. (Joseph Knefler), 1877-1947. person
correspondedWith Thayer, William Roscoe, 1859-1923 person
associatedWith United States Naval Academy. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Navy. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Navy. China Station. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Navy Department. Bureau of Navigation. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Navy Dept. Bureau of Navigation. corporateBody
associatedWith Vaughan, John, 1756-1841 person
associatedWith Wall, Bernhardt, 1872-1956. person
associatedWith Wells, Edgar Huidekoper, 1875-1938 person
associatedWith Wile, Frederic William, 1873-1941. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Spain--Madrid
France--Paris
Russia--Saint Petersburg
Europe
Subject
Aircraft carriers
Battleships
Military attachés
Military attachés
Military attachés
Military attachés
Naval gunnery
Navigation
Sino
World War, 1914-1918
World War, 1914-1918
World War, 1914-1918 Europe
Occupation
Naval officers
Activity

Person

Birth 1858-10-15

Death 1936-09-25

English

Information

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