Partly printed document signed by Woodrow Wilson, as President of the United States. Washington, D.C., 15 May 1913. 1 page. With original blue wafer seal. Undersigned by Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels.

A naval appointment signed by President Wilson early in his presidency. The document appoints Paul V. Thompson as an Ensign in the Naval Battalion of the Militia of the District of Columbia as of 11 May. Thompson is listed in the Washington from 1911 through at least 1916 as working in the Naval Yard. The 1918 Navy and Marine Corps Registry records Thompson as a lieutenant (junior grade) engine officer aboard the U.S.S. Lydonia. Originally built as a yacht, the U.S. Navy purchased the vessel on 21 August 1917. After repairs, she joined the U.S. Navy patrol squadron operating near the Strait of Gibraltar protecting Allied supply convoys from German submarines.

[Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Signatures, Presidents, Presidential Memorabilia, Autographs, WWI, World War I, Naval History, Submarines]