The first Port Engineer's Society was formed at San Francisco, California in February, 1946 - and in April, 1946 the San Francisco Society contacted one of our present Honorary Members in New York and suggested a similar organization be formed.

An impromptu meeting of several Port Engineers was held at the Whitehall Club, April 23, 1946, and it was decided to form a Port Engineers Society in New York.

Letters were mailed to all Port Engineers in the New York Area - notifying them of this movement and, if interested, requested that they attend a general meeting to be held at 115 Liberty Street, New York on May 15, 1946.  Subject meeting was attended by thirty-four local Port Engineers and Acting Officers were elected.  The revision of the San Francisco Port Engineers Society's by-laws was discussed and a prominent admiralty lawyer volunteered to obtain a Charter and Corporation Seal - under the title of THE PORT ENGINEERS SOCIETY OF NEW YORK.  Difficulty was encountered in obtaining the Charter under title of PORT ENGINEERS SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, however, after several meetings, the New York State authorities accepted our application with the revised title of THE SOCIETY OF MARINE PORT ENGINEERS, NEW YORK, NY, INC. and were granted a CHARTER DATED SEPTEMBER 25, 1946.

Our first meeting as a legally incorporated society was held at the Downtown Athletic Club, Wednesday evening, October 30, 1946.  We have on file the Names of everyone who attended and the Minutes of the first impromptu meeting at the Whitehall Club - also every meeting to date.

The original signatures of the FIRST IMPROMPTU Meeting of the Society of Marine Port Engineers New York, NY, Inc, at the Whitehall Club - April 23, 1946.