Cup of Joe

From American Navy lore.  Josephus Daniels (1862- 1948) was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913. During his time as Secretary of the Navy, “Joe” Daniels abolished the officers’ wine, after which the strongest drink aboard Navy ships was coffee.  A cup of coffee became known as “a cup of Joe”. A nautical term that has now become part of everyday language