Guide to the Papers of Admiral Richard E. Byrd

Biography of Richard E. Byrd

It is not possible to know the history of the polar regions or undertake scientific investigation of the areas without being aware of Admiral Richard E. Byrd or benefiting from his contributions. As a navigational aviator, Byrd pioneered in the technology that would be the foundation for modern polar exploration and investigation. As a decorated and much celebrated hero, Byrd drew popular attention to areas of the world that would become focal points of scientific investigation in numerous disciplines. Finally, as a naval officer Admiral Byrd contributed to the role of government in sponsoring and facilitating research in polar regions and topics.

Richard E. Byrd first made his mark in the U.S. Navy. Graduating with the class of 1912 from the U.S. Naval Academy, he served in the battleship fleet until forced into medical retirement in 1916 from the after-effects of a smashed ankle suffered while a midshipman. Recalled to active duty in a retired status, he organized the Commission on Training Camps. In April 1917 he won his wings as Naval Aviator 608.

From the start of his flying career he demonstrated unusual ability. Byrd pioneered the technique of night-time landings of seaplanes on the ocean and flew out over the horizon, out of sight of land, and navigated back to his base. In 1918 he proposed flying the newly built NC-1 flying boats across the Atlantic to the war zone in France. His war service was in Canada as Commander, U.S. Naval Air Forces with responsibility for two air bases in Nova Scotia.

With the conclusion of hostilities, Byrd was called to Washington and assigned responsibility for the navigational preparations for the transatlantic flight attempt of the NC flying boats in l9l9. He was a skilled officer in representing Navy interests under consideration by the Congress. Byrd won wide acclaim for directing the lobbying effort that resulted in the first post-war pay raise for military personnel. Byrd was also invaluable in the long campaign of Naval aviators to establish a Bureau of Aeronautics.

Interested in polar exploration from childhood, his adult involvement began in 1924 when he was appointed navigator for the proposed transpolar flight of the Navy's dirigible Shenandoah from Alaska to Spitzbergen. When the flight was cancelled by President Coolidge, Byrd began to organize his own Navy flight expedition to the Arctic. He was compelled to join forces with the MacMillan Expedition to northwest Greenland sponsored by the National Geographic Society in 1925. At that time Byrd completed the first flights over Ellesmere Island and the interior of Greenland.

In 1926 he took leave from the Navy to organize a privately financed expedition to the Arctic, which was to be based in Spitzbergen. Plans included several flights over the pack ice, including one to the North Pole. Supported by Edsel Ford, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., the New York Times and others, Byrd and his pilot, Floyd Bennett, claimed to have reached the North Pole on May 9, 1926. Both men were awarded the Medal of Honor after their return to the United States. In later years scholars have raised questions about the success of the expedition in flying over the North Pole.

Cheered by the outpouring of public support and admiration, Byrd continued his leave from the Navy. With commercial sponsorship, he completed the first trimotor airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean to France in 1927. Byrd then turned his attention to Antarctica in 1928. During the remaining years of his life he was involved in five expeditions to Antarctica. These explorations accounted for the discovery of hundreds of thousands of square miles of territory which were claimed for the United States. He personified the inception of the mechanical era of Antarctic exploration. No other person in Antarctic history has contributed more to the geographic discovery of the continent than Byrd.

With highly visible accomplishments, he thrilled millions and raised large amounts of funding. He flew over the South Pole in November 1929. He spent most of the winter of 1934 alone in a meteorological hut some 100 miles into the interior. His winter weather observations were the first taken from the interior. This effort almost cost Byrd his life when he was poisoned by carbon monoxide fumes.

Byrd remained a promoter of Antarctic exploration. He merged his plans for a third private expedition with governmental plans and became the commanding officer of the United States Antarctic Service. With the onset of World War II he returned to active service.

In the early post-war years, Byrd participated in the organization of the U.S. Navy Antarctic Developments Project in 1946-47 (Operation Highjump) He supervised the preparation of a study for the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Greenland as a site for military training and operations. In his final years he was called again to serve the nation as Officer in Charge of United States Antarctic Programs. This responsibility gave him authority to coordinate government supported scientific, logistical, and political work in Antarctica. Admiral Byrd remained an influential figure in polar research until his death in 1957.

Scope and Content

As a whole, the Byrd Papers document the career of Admiral Richard Byrd (1888 - 1957) and his family from 1839 to 1980. They consist of fourteen series of materials that include correspondence, publications and printed material, expeditionary records, newspaper clippings, photographs, maps and charts, artifacts, audio recordings and motion picture films.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

The Richard E. Byrd Papers are available for use in the reading room of The Ohio State University Archives Building, 2700 Kenny Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210. The reading room is open to the public, 9am-4:30pm, M-F. Appointments are preferred. Please contact the polar curator at 614-688-8173 or e-mail kissel.4@osu.edu.

Restrictions on Access

As a condition of the acquisition, less than a cubic foot of letters between Admiral Byrd and his wife remain confidential until the deaths of all of their children. Many of the letters between the couple, which are in other parts of the collection, are open to research.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Persons:

Preferred Citation

[Box number, folder number], Admiral Richard E. Byrd Papers, Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program, The Ohio State University

Acquisition Information

After the death of Admiral Byrd in 1957, his papers were held by his wife, Marie Ames Byrd. At her death in 1974, their son, Richard Byrd, Jr. took physical possession of much of the material. The Byrd papers were in a variety of containers and periodically moved to several warehouses and at least one barn. Each move expsed the collection to hazards of preservation and periodic disorganization.

As the probate of Mrs. Byrd's estate proceeded, the papers were offered for bid to institutions of higher education. All institutions submitting a proposal had to provide evidence of their commitment to the advancement of scholarship in polar studies and to compensate the estate for the officially appraised value of the papers.

In 1985 the Ohio State University competed programmatically against other universities for the Byrd papers. It was successful because of its active programs in polar research conducted by the University's Institute of Polar Studies. In addition, the University proposed to rename the Institute as a memorial in honor of the explorer.

In a separate action, the Byrd Foundation divested itself of its assets and provided $417,363 to Ohio State to create an endowed fund. At the direction of the Foundation and by the terms of the agreement, the income from this endowment must be used exclusively to support graduate and post-graduate fellowships for field-oriented researchers.

Finally, in May of 1990 the University acquired from the Byrd family another 250 cubic feet of the papers of the Admiral as an addition to the 447 received previously. These had been separated from the main collection many years ago by someone who promised to establish a museum, which did not take place. This material was even more deteriorated and chaotic in arrangement than the first set, the final place of storage having been a barn.

Processing Information

Funding from the U.S. Department of Education (Title II-C, Strengthening Library Resources) provided for the processing of the papers from November 1, 1992 through October 31, 1994.

Detailed Description of The Collection