Scope and Content Note
The papers of Harold Gardiner Bowen (1883-1965) span the years 1907-1977, with the bulk of the material dating between 1940 and 1959. The papers consist primarily of correspondence, writings, news clippings, Navy Department orders, and presidential executive orders for plant seizures during World War II. Bowen was an engineer for the navy, and as chief of the Bureau of Engineering from 1935 to 1939, he advocated and implemented the redesign of the fleet using high pressure, high temperature steam. From 1939 to 1942 Bowen served as director of the Naval Research Laboratory, which did pioneering work on radar and the concentration of uranium 235 during his tenure. From 1942 to 1945 he served as special assistant to the under secretary and the secretary of the navy. The majority of these papers, however, date from after his retirement in 1947 and primarily relate to his various business interests and his work with the Newcomen Society and the Thomas Alva Edison Foundation. Notable correspondents include Chester W. Nimitz, Adlai E. Stevenson (1900-1965), and Lewis L. Strauss.