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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Doris “Dorie” Miller Commemorative Print with Thermometer
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Doris “Dorie” Miller Commemorative Print with Thermometer

Artifact IDMO 2016.5.25
Object Type Thermometer
Issuing Body (American undertaker)
Date1942
Mediumprint: paper, paper (cardboard), ink, glass, metal
frame: wood, glass
Dimensionsoverall H 9 3/4 in x W 7 3/4 in x D 1/2 in (248 cm x 197 cm x 13 cm )
Physical DescriptionA color print featuring a photographic image of WWII sailor Dorie Miller with his biographical information in the upper right. On the left side of the print is an oval cutout into which is inserted a small mercury thermometer. Stamped in black ink above the thermometer is text that reads: Compliments of / W. I. PEEK & Co., INC. / FUNERAL DIRECTORS / Anderson, S. C. / Phones: DAY 95 * NIGHT 1273-J.

The print is framed in a 1/2" wood frame with glass glazing.
Historical NoteAt the start of World War II, the U.S. Navy restricted Black sailors to its “messman” branch. But the extraordinary heroism of Messman Doris “Dorie” Miller, who manned an anti-aircraft gun during Japan’s December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, helped initiate change. Publicity by the NAACP and the Black press about Miller’s exploits helped convince FDR to award him the Navy Cross—the first ever given to a Black sailor. In April 1942, the Navy announced that Black recruits would be trained in a range of specialties beyond messmen—including combat positions.

Miller became an iconic emblem of the fight for Black civil rights and his likeness was reproduced on buttons, wartime commemorative items, and prints like this one. In November 1943, he was killed in action while serving aboard the escort carrier Liscome Bay when it was sunk by a Japanese submarine.

This print with thermometer is currently on display in the FDR Library's special exhibition, BLACK AMERICANS, CIVIL RIGHTS, AND THE ROOSEVELTS, 1932-1962.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteLent to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Steven M. Lomazow in 2016. It was donated to the Library in 2017.
Credit LineGift of Steven M. Lomazow
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesGift Items and Commemorative Artifacts (National Archives Identifier 782690)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
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On view