Historical Archives

The American Cadet Alliance was founded as the Colonel Cody’s Boy Scouts by Captain James H. C. Smyth on April 10th, 1909, at the First Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, New York. Shortly thereafter, the Colonel Cody’s Boy Scouts was reorganized as the American Naval and Marine Scouts. The American Naval and Marine Scouts continued to evolve and on August 16th, 1927 the organization was incorporated under the laws of the State of New York as the New York Junior Naval Militia, Inc. Early in 1929, the organization split and our founder, as well as a number of senior officers, incorporated the Junior Naval Reserve, Inc., on February 19th, 1929.

Early in 1938, during the heightening of World War II, the War Department instructed the Secretaries of State to require all organizations using the words Naval, Militia and Reserve as a part of their corporate name to rename their organizations so as not to cause public confusion regarding their relationship to the Armed Services. To comply with this request, the Junior Naval Reserve, Inc. reincorporated on June 14th, 1938 as the American Nautical Cadets, Inc., and on November 2nd, 1938, the New York Junior Naval Militia, Inc. changed its name to the Maritime Brigade, Inc.

As a result of reorganization, due in part to a number of mergers with other smaller Cadet organizations, the American Nautical Cadets, Inc., reincorporated on October 3rd, 1956 as the American Nautical Alliance, Inc. The organization came full circle on September 15th, 1960 when the American Nautical Alliance, Inc. and the Maritime Brigade, Inc. merged to become the American Cadet Alliance, Inc.