Dec 08, 1976
National Register of Historic Places - Josephus Daniels House (Wakestone /Masonic Temple of Raleigh)
Statement of Significance: Josephus Daniels, according to his biographer Joseph L. Morrison, "was one of the great Secretaries of the Navy" in American history. Serving in this post from 1913 to 1921--a tenure equaled only by Gideon Welles during the administration of Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson-- Daniels not only successfully put his department on a war footing in 1917-1918 but made a number of significant changes in naval policies, particularly toward enlisted men. Determined, says historian Arthur S. Link, "to make the navy a training school for democracy, " he introduced compulsory schooling for illiterate or poorly educated sailors, provided vocational training, opened the Naval Academy to enlisted men, and re- formed the naval prison system. Other Daniels innovations included requiring sea service for promotion; enlisting of women; banning alcoholic beverages from the officers' mess; creating the civilian-staffed Naval Consulting Board to advise the Navy on technological developments; and strengthening the Naval War College. A vigorous foe of monopoly and special privilege, Daniels fought collusive bidding for Government con- tracts, obtained appropriations for the construction of a government armor plant, and battled for 8 years to protect the Navy's oil reserves. These policies alienated many naval officers, advocates of naval expansion, and businessmen, and made Daniels, according to scholar E. David Cronon, "probably the most controversial member of Wilson's cabinet." In 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under Daniels, appointed him Ambassador to Mexico. During his 8 years in Mexico City, Daniels won the favor of the Mexican people and did much to advance the Good Neighbor Policy. Much of his popularity, says historian William E. Leuchtenburg, was based on his sympathy for the Mexican Government's "land and oil reforms" and his refusal "to serve as the agent to American oil interests.
National Register of Historic Places - Josephus Daniels House (Wakestone /Masonic Temple of Raleigh)
Statement of Significance: Josephus Daniels, according to his biographer Joseph L. Morrison, "was one of the great Secretaries of the Navy" in American history. Serving in this post from 1913 to 1921--a tenure equaled only by Gideon Welles during the administration of Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson-- Daniels not only successfully put his department on a war footing in 1917-1918 but made a number of significant changes in naval policies, particularly toward enlisted men. Determined, says historian Arthur S. Link, "to make the navy a training school for democracy, " he introduced compulsory schooling for illiterate or poorly educated sailors, provided vocational training, opened the Naval Academy to enlisted men, and re- formed the naval prison system. Other Daniels innovations included requiring sea service for promotion; enlisting of women; banning alcoholic beverages from the officers' mess; creating the civilian-staffed Naval Consulting Board to advise the Navy on technological developments; and strengthening the Naval War College. A vigorous foe of monopoly and special privilege, Daniels fought collusive bidding for Government con- tracts, obtained appropriations for the construction of a government armor plant, and battled for 8 years to protect the Navy's oil reserves. These policies alienated many naval officers, advocates of naval expansion, and businessmen, and made Daniels, according to scholar E. David Cronon, "probably the most controversial member of Wilson's cabinet." In 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under Daniels, appointed him Ambassador to Mexico. During his 8 years in Mexico City, Daniels won the favor of the Mexican people and did much to advance the Good Neighbor Policy. Much of his popularity, says historian William E. Leuchtenburg, was based on his sympathy for the Mexican Government's "land and oil reforms" and his refusal "to serve as the agent to American oil interests.
Dec 08, 1976
Posted Date
Aug 30, 2023
Historical Record Date
Dec 08, 1976
Source Name
National Register of Historic Places
