David H. Jarvis
David H. Jarvis | |
---|---|
Born | United States of America | August 24, 1862
Service/ | United States Revenue Cutter Service |
Years of service | 1881–1905 |
Rank | Captain |
Commands held | US Revenue Cutter Bear |
Awards | Congressional Gold Medal |
Other work | Businessman |
David Henry Jarvis (August 24, 1862 – June 23, 1911)
Early career
Jarvis was born at
On March 16, 1888 Jarvis received orders that transferred him to the Pacific coast where he spent the balance of his career with the RCS. He reported aboard
Overland Relief Expedition
In 1897, eight whaling ships were trapped in an Arctic ice field surrounding Point Barrow, the northernmost point of Alaska.[4] Trapped by ice, the harsh environment, and a dwindling food supply, the whalers had little chance of surviving.
On November 29, 1897, the Bear, commanded by Captain Francis Tuttle, sailed from Port Townsend, Washington.[1][4][17] It was too late in the year for the cutter to push through the ice, so it was decided the party must go overland, enlisting the help of natives, stopping by a reindeer station to purchase a herd of reindeer.[4]
The overland trek left from
The rescue party traveled and carried the provisions using dog sleds, sleds pulled by reindeer, snowshoes, and skis.[4] Because of a lack of trained dogs, Jarvis instructed Bertholf to continue searching the Inuit villages for sled teams while he and Call went ahead to Cape Prince of Wales, where there were large numbers of domesticated reindeer. Bertholf caught up with Jarvis and Call and helped re-provision the relief mission.[23]
The group reached Point Barrow on March 29, 1898, having walked most of the distance and endured temperatures as low as −45 degrees Fahrenheit.
Recognition
President William McKinley recognized the achievements of the rescue in a letter dated January 17, 1899 to the United States Congress, in which he requested of Congress "That gold medals of honor of appropriate design, to be approved by the Secretary of the Treasury, be awarded to Lieutenants Jarvis and Bertholf and Dr. Call, commemorative of their heroic struggles in aid of suffering fellow-men."[17]
In recognition of their work, Jarvis, Bertholf and Call were awarded Congressional Gold Medals for "heroic service rendered" in legislation passed on June 28, 1902.[27][Note 7] The enabling statute reads as follows:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby directed to bestow a gold medal of honor, of such design as he may approve, upon First Lieutenant David H. Jarvis, Second Lieutenant Ellsworth P. Bertholf, and Doctor Samuel J. Call, surgeon, all of the Revenue-Cutter Service and members of the overland expedition of eighteen hundred and ninety-seven and eighteen hundred and ninety-eight for the relief of the whaling fleet in the arctic regions, in recognition of the heroic service rendered by them in connection with said expedition.[28]
Later career and death
Three years later, Jarvis stood by his post as a special government agent at
Jarvis was a close friend and adviser of Judge James Wickersham, who wrote of him in 1901, "I am very fond of Capt. Jarvis; he is a loveable, honest and competent man—I think those three words cover about all that is necessary in a man."[2] When Wickersham ran for delegate to Congress in 1908 on an anti-Guggenheim platform, he broke with Jarvis and accused him of corruption, bribery and other crimes.[2] Jarvis resigned from various offices connected with the syndicate.[1]
Jarvis committed suicide on June 23, 1911, shooting himself in his room at the Seattle Athletic Club, one day after Wickersham demanded a new investigation of him for allegedly defrauding the government on coal contracts. Jarvis's suicide note read, "Tired and worn out."[2][29] Wickersham, accused by his critics of responsibility for Jarvis's death, commented in his diary, "Poor Jarvis. Until he became the employee of the Guggenheim bunch of Jew thieves he was a man of honor and courage."[2] Captain Ellsworth Bertholf commented, "I lived with him in the same tent, was his comrade in times of hardship and danger... Not many people really knew him, for he was a silent man."[29]
Legacy
- USCGC Jarvis (WHEC-725), a Hamilton-class United States Coast Guard cutter, commissioned on Coast Guard Day, August 4, 1972 was named for Captain Jarvis. Jarvis was decommissioned October 2, 2012 and transferred to the Bangladesh Navy May 23, 2013.[30]
- The U.S. Coast Guard's "Captain David H. Jarvis Inspirational Leadership Award" is presented annually and recognizes an officer that consistently demonstrates outstanding leadership skills which motivate and inspire personnel to strive for excellence.[6][29][31]
- Mount Jarvis, a shield volcano in the Wrangell Mountains of eastern Alaska, was named for him in 1903 by F. C. Schrader of the United States Geological Survey.[32]
- Jarvis's Congressional Gold Medal is now part of the collection of the U.S. Coast Guard Museum.[26]
Personal life
Jarvis married Ethel Taber on April 2, 1896. They had three children: Anna (born during the Overland Relief Expedition), David H., and William.[1]
Notes
- Footnotes
- Revenue Cutter Service School of Instruction aboard USRC Salmon P. Chase on January 7, 1881 as one of a class of four cadets.[7]
- U.S. Navy ensign.
- ^ It is unknown what Jarvis' assignment was; however, it was common practice in the USRC at the time to send an officer home temporarily if there were no duties for the officer to perform.
- ^ USRC Stevens was constructed in 1871 and is not to be confused with USRC E.A. Stevens. According to Canney, E.A. Stevens was broken up about 1872.[11] Accordingly, Jarvis would have never served aboard her. USRC Stevens was constructed about 1871.[12] Records from the 19th century show both vessels as being the same, however construction details differ significantly between the two vessels. Coincidentally both cutters served at New Bern, North Carolina at some point in their career.[10]
- ^ References used in this article do not indicate Jarvis' assignment in the period March 18, 1889 to January 2, 1890.
- ^ References used in this article do not indicate Jarvis' assignment in the period 1891 to 1897.
- ^ A Congressional Gold Medal is not the same award as the Medal of Honor.
- Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Bagley, pp 416–417
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wickersham, p 247
- ^ King, pp 94–108
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Noble(1979)
- ^ a b c d e Noble (1990), p 37
- ^ a b c "Captain David H. Jarvis Inspirational Leadership Award", Programs, United States Coast Guard Office of Leadership
- ^ Record of Movements, p 180
- ^ a b c Record of Movements, p 244
- ^ Record of Movements, p 246
- ^ a b Record of Movements, p 329
- ^ Canney, p 31
- ^ Canney, p 41
- ^ Record of Movements, pp 164–165
- ^ Record of Movements, pp 193–194
- ^ Record of Movements, pp 284–285
- ^ a b Strobridge and Noble, p 54
- ^ a b c d e f g h McKinley, "To the Senate and House of Representatives, Messages and Papers of William McKinley", V.2
- ^ Taliaferro, pp 210–211
- ^ King, p 94
- ^ Kroll, p 40
- ^ Taliaferro, p 216
- ^ King, p 96
- ^ Kroll, pp. 43-45.
- ^ King, p 102
- ^ Taliaferro, p 348
- ^ a b "Jarvis Congressional Gold Medal", U. S. Coast Guard Museum Collection, U.S. Coast Guard
- ^ Evans, p 139
- ^ Wikisource. [scan ] . Vol. 32. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. 1902. p. 492 – via
- ^ a b c d Taliaferro, p 349
- ^ "Jarvis, 1971", 378-foot Hamilton Class High Endurance Cutter (WHEC), U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office
- ^ Patrick, "Capt. David H. Jarvis: Undertaking A Daring Rescue At The Top Of The World", Military.com
- ^ "Mount Jarvis". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- Bibliography
- Websites used
- "Captain David H. Jarvis Inspirational Leadership Award". Programs. U.S. Coast Guard Office of Leadership. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
- "Jarvis, 1971". 378-foot Hamilton Class High Endurance Cutter (WHEC). U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- "Jarvis Congressional Gold Medal". U. S. Coast Guard Museum Collection. U.S. Coast Guard. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
- "Mount Jarvis". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
- "Public Law 57-192" (PDF). Statutes at Large, Volume 32. LegisWorks.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
- "Record of Movements, Vessels of the United States Coast Guard, 1790–December 31, 1933 (1989 reprint)" (PDF). U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Transportation.
- "The Work of the Bureau of Education for the Natives of Alaska". Google Books. U.S. Bureau of Education. 1886. pp. 1457–1467. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- Publications used
- Bagley, Clarence (1916). History of Seattle From the Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. Vol. 3. Chicago, Illinois: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. pp. 416–417.
- Canney, Donald L. (1995). U.S. Coast Guard and Revenue Cutters, 1790–1935. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN 978-1-55750-101-1.
- Evans, Stephen H. (1949). The United States Coast Guard 1790–1915: A Definitive History. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland.
- King, Irving H. (1996). The Coast Guard Expands, 1865–1915: New Roles, New Frontiers. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN 978-1-55750-458-6.
- Kroll, C. Douglas (2002). Commodore Ellsworth P. Bertholf: First Commandant of the Coast Guard. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN 978-1-55750-474-6.
- McKinley, William (1899). Richardson, James D (ed.). "To the Senate and House of Representatives". Messages and Papers of William McKinley V.2. Project Gutenberg (published December 24, 2004). Retrieved December 5, 2012.
- Noble, Dennis L. (1979). "Fog, Men, and Cutters: A Short History of the Bering Sea Patrol". Coast Guard History. U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
- Noble, Dennis L.(1990). "Historical Register U.S. Revenue Cutter Service Officers, 1790–1914" (PDF). Coast Guard Personnel. U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Patrick, Bethanne Kelly. "Capt. David H. Jarvis: Undertaking A Daring Rescue At The Top Of The World". Military.com. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
- Strobridge, Truman R. and Dennis L. Noble (1999). Alaska and the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service 1867–1915. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN 978-1-55750-845-4.
- Taliaferro, John (2006). In a Far Country: The True Story of a Mission, a Marriage, a Murder, and the Remarkable Reindeer Rescue of 1898. New York City, New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-1-58648-221-3.
- Wickersham, James (2009). Cole, Terrence (ed.). Old Yukon: Tales, Trails, and Trials. Fairbanks, Alaska: University of Alaska Press. ISBN 978-1-60223-051-4.
Further reading
- Shallow, Shawn (2005). Rescue at the Top of the World. Arcata, California: Paradise Cay Publications. ISBN 9780939837656.