The papers of John T. Koehler mostly consist of speeches he delivered as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Also included are scripts for radio or television broadcasts and documents regarding his appointment and resignation as Assistant Secretary.

Size: Less than one linear foot (about 500 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: At the time of his death, Koehler donated to the United States his literary property rights in his writings in all papers at the Harry S. Truman Library. Documents created by U.S. government officials in the course of their duties are also in the public domain. Copyright interests in other documents presumably belong to the creators of those documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: Harry Clark Jr. (1965).
Updated by: Dennis Brammeier (2007). as part of the Truman Library Internship Program.
Supervising Archivists: Randy Sowell and David Clark.

1904 (March 14)		Born, North Braddock, Pennsylvania
1926		A.B., Princeton University
1930		LL.B., Harvard Law School
1933-1934		Special Attorney, U.S. Treasury Department.
1934-1935		Special Assistant to the Attorney General of the U.S.
1935-1941		Attorney, Baltimore, Maryland
1942-1945		Lt. Commander and Commander, U.S. Navy; awarded Silver Star Medal for service with Underwater Demolition Team in the Marshall Islands
1946-1949		Counsel, Bureau of Ships, and Assistant General Counsel, Navy Department
1949-1951		Assistant Secretary of the Navy
1950		Acting Chairman, Federal Maritime Board
1951-1953		Chairman, Renegotiation Board
1970-1989		Attorney, Washington, D.C.
1989 (September 23)		Died, Chevy Chase, Maryland.

The John T. Koehler papers are primarily composed of speeches delivered by Koehler while he was Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1949 to 1951.

Many of the speeches pertain to Navy logistics and procurement. Koehler’s main responsibility as Assistant Secretary was to keep the Navy supplied with what it needed. Other speeches deal with scientific research, the Merchant Marine, and the Navy’s involvement in the Korean War.

The collection also contains information on his appointment and resignation as Assistant Secretary, as well as scripts for television or radio broadcasts featuring Koehler.

Further information on Koehler and the Navy during the Truman Administration can be found at the Truman Library in the papers of Harry S. Truman (Presidents Personal File 5602 and Official Files 3160 and 1285-C), John L Sullivan, Francis P. Matthews, and Dan A. Kimball.

Container Nos.		Series
1		SUBJECT FILE, 1949-1951.
		Speeches by John T. Koehler during his tenure as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and other documents. Arranged alphabetically.

SUBJECT FILE, 1949-1951

• Appointment Data - Assistant Secretary of the Navy
• Speeches – Miscellaneous, 1949
• Speeches – Miscellaneous, 1950-1951
• Speeches – Miscellaneous, 1951

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