Table of Contents
Scope and Contents of the Collection
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Overview of the Collection |
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| Creator: | Wainwright, John D., b. 1839. |
| Title: | John D. Wainwright Collection |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1860-1965 |
| Bulk Dates: | 1962-1965 |
| Quantity: | 4 folders (SC) |
| Abstract: | Rear Admiral, United States Navy. Collection includes correspondence, photographs, clippings relating to Wainwright and to his father, Civil War Colonel John Wainwright, recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery at the Battle of Fort Fisher (North Carolina). |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: |
Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center |
Biographical History
John Drayton Wainwright (1878-1965) was an American naval officer. He served from 1900 to 1942, retiring with the rank of Rear Admiral. During the course of his career he commanded the USS Massachusetts and USS Tenadores (World War I), the USS Cleveland, and the U.S. Navy Yard in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
His father, John Wainwright, was a native of Syracuse, New York. A Colonel in the Union Army during the United States Civil War, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Battle of Fort Fisher (North Carolina) on January 15, 1865.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The John D. Wainwright Collection contains material relating to both Rear Admiral John Drayton Wainwright and to his father, Colonel John Wainwright.
Biographical material contains two copies of a typescript relating the events of the Battle of Fort Fisher and Colonel Wainwright's role, which led to his receiving a Medal of Honor. There is also an original letter (and a copy of same) in the Colonel's hand, reflecting on his service, which reads in part: "I am not conscious of having done more than my duty in any of the engagements in which I participated with my regiment...I always aimed to do my level best and to do that as promptly as possible." Also included is a letter of condolence to Rear Admiral Wainwright's widow, on the occasion of his death, and a few pages of typescript with genealogical information about the Wainwright family.
Clippings consists of several obituaries for John D. Wainright, and several clippings regarding the donation of the Wainwright material to Syracuse University.
Correspondence includes letters between John D. Wainwright and Charles Kohen, the collector who donated the Wainwright material, and between Wainwright and John S. Mayfield of Syracuse University, who accepted the donation.
Photographs contains three identical photographs of John Wainwright and one of John D. Wainwright.
Arrangement of the Collection
Alphabetical by type. Within each type, material is arranged chronologically where possible.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.
Use Restrictions
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Subject Headings
Persons
Corporate Bodies
Places
Genres and Forms
Occupations
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
John D. Wainwright Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
Acquisition Information
John Wainwright letter, gift of Charles Kohen, 1961.
Additional material, gift of John D. Wainwright, 1962.
Some correspondence, gift of John S. Mayfield, 1965.
Finding Aid Information
Created by: MRC
Date: 21 Oct 2010
Revision history: 15 Sep 2015 - added link to related material (MRC)
Inventory
| Biographical information | |||||||||||
| SC 625 | Genealogy, letter of John D. Wainwright, narration of Battle of Fort Fisher 1890, 1965, undated | ||||||||||
| Clippings | |||||||||||
| SC 625 | Relating to the Wainwrights and the donation 1962, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Correspondence | |||||||||||
| SC 625 | Kohen, Charles 1962-1965 | ||||||||||
| SC 625 | Mayfield, John S. 1962-1965 | ||||||||||
| Photographs | |||||||||||
| SC 625 | John Wainwright, John D. Wainwright undated | ||||||||||