Ulane Bonnel
Encyclopedia
Ulane BonnelUlane Bonnel (born Ulane Zeeck in Lingleville, Texas
on 22 September 1918 - died in Paris
, France
on 26 September 2006) was a U.S. naval historian working in France, who played a major role developing professional connections between American and French naval historians and in founding both the scholarly journal Chronique d'histoire maritime and the French Commission of Maritime History (Commission française d'histoire maritime).
. She joined the U.S. Navy and was given a naval commission in 1943 after attending the Naval Midshipman's (Women's Reserve
) Training School at Northampton, Massachusetts
. While on active duty, she served as a recruiting officer, instructor, and personnel officer. At the end of the war, she served in the Congressional liaison unit at the Bureau of Naval Personnel. Leaving naval service in 1946 after reaching the rank of lieutenant commander, she went on to work for the Congressional Research Service
at the Library of Congress
, specializing in military affairs. While in Washington, she met an officer in the French Navy's medical corps then serving with the French naval mission in Washington, D.C., Paul-Henri Bonnel (1912–1984), whom she married in 1947. Following their marriage, Ulane Bonnel went to France with her husband, who went on to a distinguished career in the French Navy
rising to be chief of the maritime health service (chef du service santé des gens de mer) in 1969-72 and an internationally recognized biologist associated with the World Health Organization
.
After discovering a love for history in Texas, Ulane Bonnel went to the Université de Genève, Switzerland, while her husband was serving at the headquarters of the World Health Organization
from 1951. There, she studied under Professors Paul Collart, Luc Monnier, and Pierre Traschler. Going further with her studies, she completed her doctoral thesis under Professors Marcel Reinhard and Marcel Dunan at the Sorbonne
on French and American privateering in the period between 1797 and 1815, includinge the Quasi-War with France and the War of 1812
.
In 1964, she was appointed the delegate in France for the Library of Congress
and played an extremely important role in developing cooperation between French and American naval historians in the period leading up to the bicentenary of the United States. In this role, she was the key person who coordinated the photocopying of documents from French archives for the Library of Congress
and the U.S. Navy's Naval Historical Center
, relating to the key role that the French Navy played in obtaining American Independence in 1778-1783. Many of the documents she acquired were translated to enrich the U.S. Navy's multivolume series on Naval Documents of the American Revolution, begun by William Bell Clark
and William J. Morgan (historian)
.
In recognition of her great contributions to Franco-American historical relations, she was elected the first woman member of the History, Letters, and Arts section of the Académie de Marine. She also served as president of the Association internationale des Docteurs des Universités françaises and vice-president of the Institut Napoléon. After the 1984 discovery of the wreck of CSS Alabama
, sunk in Cherbourg harbor during the American Civil War
, she helped to organize both the French and American branches of the CSS Alabama Association, serving as president of the French branch and helping to develop support for its work in underwater archeology on the site of the wreck. In this role, she was the key person working to negotiate the international agreement between France and the United States over the wreck and the wreck site in French waters.http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org12-9c.htm
Pull Together: Newsletter of the Naval Historical Foundation, Fall/Winter 2006/2007, p. 14, by William S. Dudley
.
Lingleville, Texas
Lingleville is an unincorporated community in Erath County, Texas, United States.The Lingleville Independent School District serves area students.-External links:...
on 22 September 1918 - died in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on 26 September 2006) was a U.S. naval historian working in France, who played a major role developing professional connections between American and French naval historians and in founding both the scholarly journal Chronique d'histoire maritime and the French Commission of Maritime History (Commission française d'histoire maritime).
Early life and education
Ulane Zeeck took her bachelor of arts degree at West Texas State College at Canyon, TexasCanyon, Texas
Canyon is a city in Randall County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,875 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randall County. It is the home of West Texas A&M University and Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. Palo Duro Canyon State Park is some twelve miles east of Canyon...
. She joined the U.S. Navy and was given a naval commission in 1943 after attending the Naval Midshipman's (Women's Reserve
WAVES
The WAVES were a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" ; the word "emergency" implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of the war and...
) Training School at Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
. While on active duty, she served as a recruiting officer, instructor, and personnel officer. At the end of the war, she served in the Congressional liaison unit at the Bureau of Naval Personnel. Leaving naval service in 1946 after reaching the rank of lieutenant commander, she went on to work for the Congressional Research Service
Congressional Research Service
The Congressional Research Service , known as "Congress's think tank", is the public policy research arm of the United States Congress. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS works exclusively and directly for Members of Congress, their Committees and staff on a...
at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, specializing in military affairs. While in Washington, she met an officer in the French Navy's medical corps then serving with the French naval mission in Washington, D.C., Paul-Henri Bonnel (1912–1984), whom she married in 1947. Following their marriage, Ulane Bonnel went to France with her husband, who went on to a distinguished career in the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
rising to be chief of the maritime health service (chef du service santé des gens de mer) in 1969-72 and an internationally recognized biologist associated with the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
.
After discovering a love for history in Texas, Ulane Bonnel went to the Université de Genève, Switzerland, while her husband was serving at the headquarters of the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
from 1951. There, she studied under Professors Paul Collart, Luc Monnier, and Pierre Traschler. Going further with her studies, she completed her doctoral thesis under Professors Marcel Reinhard and Marcel Dunan at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
on French and American privateering in the period between 1797 and 1815, includinge the Quasi-War with France and the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.
Professional career
Upon completing her doctorate, Madame Bonnel immediately began to work in the field of naval history and quickly became a key figure in reviving this subject that had long been neglected by universities in France. She was the founder of the journal Chronique d'histoire maritime in 1979 and, a key figure in organizing the Commission française d'histoire maritime in 1980, and later served as its president in 1986-1989.In 1964, she was appointed the delegate in France for the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
and played an extremely important role in developing cooperation between French and American naval historians in the period leading up to the bicentenary of the United States. In this role, she was the key person who coordinated the photocopying of documents from French archives for the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
and the U.S. Navy's Naval Historical Center
Naval Historical Center
The Naval History & Heritage Command is the official history program of the United States Navy and is located at the historic Washington Navy Yard in the District of Columbia.-Mission :...
, relating to the key role that the French Navy played in obtaining American Independence in 1778-1783. Many of the documents she acquired were translated to enrich the U.S. Navy's multivolume series on Naval Documents of the American Revolution, begun by William Bell Clark
William Bell Clark
William Bell Clark was an advertising executive and self-taught naval historian, specializing in the period of the American Revolution, 1775-1783.-Early life and education:...
and William J. Morgan (historian)
William J. Morgan (historian)
William James Morgan was Senior Historian at the U.S...
.
In recognition of her great contributions to Franco-American historical relations, she was elected the first woman member of the History, Letters, and Arts section of the Académie de Marine. She also served as president of the Association internationale des Docteurs des Universités françaises and vice-president of the Institut Napoléon. After the 1984 discovery of the wreck of CSS Alabama
CSS Alabama
CSS Alabama was a screw sloop-of-war built for the Confederate States Navy at Birkenhead, United Kingdom, in 1862 by John Laird Sons and Company. Alabama served as a commerce raider, attacking Union merchant and naval ships over the course of her two-year career, during which she never anchored in...
, sunk in Cherbourg harbor during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, she helped to organize both the French and American branches of the CSS Alabama Association, serving as president of the French branch and helping to develop support for its work in underwater archeology on the site of the wreck. In this role, she was the key person working to negotiate the international agreement between France and the United States over the wreck and the wreck site in French waters.http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org12-9c.htm
Published works
La France, les États-Unis et la guerre de course (1797–1815) (1961) West Texas: the Z ranch or the story of the Zeeburgs (1970) Under the ice cap (1970) Sainte-Hélène, terre d'exil (1971) Guide des sources de l’histoire des États-Unis dans les archives françaises, with Madeline Astorquia and others (1976) Fleurieu et la marine de son temps, colloque organisé par la Commission française d'histoire maritime, edited by Ulane Bonnel (1992)Additional sources
The papers of Ulane Bonnel's husband, Paul-Henri Bonnel, are held in 41 cartons at the Service Historique de la Défense (Marine), Château de Vincennes, Fonds privé, Sous-Série GG2 176Obituaries
Chronique d'histoire maritime, no. 61, décembre 2006, pp. 188–189, by Etienne Taillemite.Pull Together: Newsletter of the Naval Historical Foundation, Fall/Winter 2006/2007, p. 14, by William S. Dudley
William S. Dudley
William Sheldon Dudley is a naval historian of the United States Navy, who served as Director of Naval History and Director, Naval Historical Center, Washington, D.C...
.