Richard Worsam Meade III
Richard Worsam Meade III | |
|---|---|
United States of America | |
| Service/ |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1856–1895 |
| Rank |  Rear admiral |
| Commands held | USS Louisville USS Marblehead USS Chocura USS Saginaw USS Narragansett USS Vandalia USS Dolphin USS United States North Atlantic Squadron |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
| Relations | Richard Worsam Meade II (father) George Gordon Meade (uncle) |
Richard Worsam Meade III (also called Richard Worsam Meade, Jr., by many sources) (October 9, 1837 – May 4, 1897) was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.
Biography
Born in New York City, he was the son of Captain Richard Worsam Meade II, USN, and followed his father by entering the Navy[1] on October 2, 1850.[2]
He was attached to the steam frigate
After returning to the East Coast from the Pacific in mid-1861, Lieutenant Meade was hospitalized for a few months for a tropical illness, then provided gunnery instruction to volunteer officers as the Navy expanded to meet the challenges of the American Civil War. In January 1862 he became executive officer of the steam sloop Dacotah and later held the same position on the new gunboat Conemaugh.
Promoted to Lieutenant-Commander on July 16, 1862,
Meade's post-Civil War career marked him as one of the Navy's most prominent reformist and technologically minded officers. Duty at the Naval Academy in 1865–1868 was followed by promotion to Commander and service along the Alaskan coast as commanding officer of the steamer Saginaw. In 1871–1873 he took Narragansett on a lengthy diplomatic and information-gathering cruise through the south Pacific. During the rest of the 1870s he served ashore at Washington, D.C., and New York. He attained the rank of Captain while commanding Vandalia in the North Atlantic and West Indies in 1879–1882, then had additional shore duty and commanded the new dispatch vessel Dolphin. Captain Meade was Commandant of the Washington Navy Yard in 1887–1890. Promoted to Commodore in 1892 and Rear Admiral two years later, his final service was as commander of the North Atlantic Squadron in 1894–1895.[1]
His 1891 article "George Meade, a Patriot of the Revolutionary Era", was a "hagiographic account" that strongly influenced the reputation of
Meade's early retirement in May 1895 followed a series of disagreements with the Navy Department. His obituary in the Indianapolis News reported Meade as criticizing President Grover Cleveland, and quoted the sentence "I am an American and a Union man, two things this administration can't stand."[4]
Rear Admiral Meade died in Washington, D.C., on May 4, 1897[1] after complications following an operation for appendicitis. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery[5] alongside his brother, Lieutenant Commander Henry Meigs Meade, USN.[6]
His wife, Rebecca Paulding, was the daughter of Rear Admiral Hiram Paulding.
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Namesakes
Two ships have been named USS Meade for him and his brother, Brigadier General Robert Leamy Meade, USMC. They were nephews of General George Gordon Meade.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Lewis Randolph Hamersly (1870). "The records of living officers of the U. S. navy and Marine corps: with a history of naval operations during the rebellion of 1861–5, and a list of the ships and officers participating in the great battles". archive.org. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- .
- Indianapolis, Indiana. May 4, 1897. p. 1. Admiral R. W. Meade Dead
- ^ Burial Details: Meade, R W – ANC Explorer
- ^ Burial Detail: Meade, Henry M – ANC Explorer
This article incorporates public domain material from Rear Admiral Richard Worsam Meade III. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
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