Collection Summary
George W. Mixter Papers
1855-1946
(bulk 1933-1945)
1855-1946
(bulk 1933-1945)
MSS85111
Mixter, George W. (George
Webber), 1876-1947
45 items
4 containers
1.6 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Navigation researcher
and consulting engineer. Correspondence, writings, notes, lectures, ship’s
papers, problem sets, calculations, maps, and other papers chiefly relating to
Mixter’s contributions to the study of navigation.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Hellweg, Julius Frederick--Correspondence.
Mixter, George W. (George Webber), 1876-1947.
Robertson, James--Correspondence.
Shesta, John--Correspondence.
Weems, Philip Van Horn, 1889-1979--Correspondence.
Organizations
Teragram (Schooner)
Subjects
Navigation.
Ship's papers--20th century.
Yachting--Bermuda Islands.
Titles
George Webber Mixter papers
Occupations
Engineers.
Researchers.
Provenance
The papers of George W. Mixter, navigation researcher and consulting
engineer, were transferred to the Library of Congress by the Historian’s
Office of the U. S. Coast Guard in 2004.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of George W.
Mixter is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of George W. Mixter are open to research. Researchers are
advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, George W. Mixter Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1876, May 21
Born, Rock Island, Ill.
1895
Graduated, Sheffield Scientific School, Yale University, New
Haven, Conn.
1897
1917
Superintendent and vice president, Deere & Co., Moline,
Ill.
1906
Married Florence Kilpatrick
1917
1919
Major and then colonel, U.S. Army Air Service
1918
Head, Air Service Claims Board
1919
Compiled with H. H. Emmons,
United States Army Aircraft Production Facts
.
Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office
1919
1923
Partner, George W. Goethals & Co., New York, N.Y.
1923
1947
Vice president and director, Day & Zimmermann,
Philadelphia, Pa.
1926
Developed interest in navigation while serving aboard a ship
during the Bermuda Race
1930
Published
Position Tables
. New York
1932
Published
Position Tables and Work Forms, including Ageton’s Tables
H. O. No. 211
. New York
1934
Married Felicie Waldo Howell
1940
Published
Primer of Navigation, with Complete Tables and Work Forms
and Special Information for Yachtsmen and Other Mariners
. New York: D.
Van Nostrand Co.
1947, Jan. 29
Died, New York, N.Y.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of George Webber Mixter (1876-1947) span the years
1855-1946, with the bulk of the material dating from 1933 to 1945. The
collection consists of correspondence, writings, notes, problem sets, and
calculations relating to Mixter’s study of navigation. Correspondence from
the 1930s documents his efforts to improve and simplify existing works on
navigation such as
Air Almanac
and
Nautical Almanac
that culminated in the publication of
Mixter’s
Primer of Navigation, with Complete Tables and Work Forms and
Special Information for Yachtsmen and Other Mariners
in 1940.
Correspondents include Philip Van Horn Weems; Julius Frederick Hellweg,
superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.;
James Robertson, director of the
Nautical Almanac
; and John Shesta. The book became the
standard textbook on navigation not only for the American forces during World
War II, but also for professional and amateur navigators. The printed matter
contains annotations by Mixter. Papers relating to his schooner
Teragram include the contract for its
construction, navigation workbooks used during the Bermuda Races of 1932 and
1934, and correspondence.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm2004085111]
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Address book,
1937
1937
1
Air Almanac 1933
,
1932-1934
1932-1934
1
American Air Almanac 1941
1
Correspondence,
1940-1942
1940-1942
1
Notes,
1941
1941
1
Astronomical Ephemeris for the Use of Navigators for
1858,
1855, 1941
1855, 1941
1
Design for a nautical almanac for
the year 1944,
1944-1945
1944-1945
1
Institute of Navigation,
1946
1946
1
Lecture, “Lighthouses in the Sky
or Navigation at Sea,” Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pa.,
1938
1938
1
“Mariner’s Mathematics,”
1944-1945
1944-1945
2
Miscellany,
undated
undated
2
Primer of Navigation, with Complete Tables and Work Forms
and Special Information for Yachtsmen and Other Mariners
2
Correspondence,
1937
1937
2
Master problems,
1936-1941
1936-1941
(2
folders)
2
Original problems,
1936-1941
1936-1941
(3
folders)
2
Sights,
1936-1941
1936-1941
2
P30-P68
3
P69-P108
3
Printed matter
3
1930-1932, 1941-1942
1930-1932, 1941-1942
(2
folders)
4
1944-1945
1944-1945
4
Teragram (schooner)
4
Building contract and other
records,
1928-1938, undated
1928-1938, undated
4
Navigator’s workbook,
1932-1934
1932-1934
(2
folders)