Wat Tyler Cluverius Jr.

Wat Tyler Cluverius Jr. (12 December 1874 – 28 October 1952) was an admiral in the United States Navy and president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. When he died, he was the last surviving officer of the sinking of USS Maine.

An 1896 graduate of the

Wat Tyler Cluverius Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on 12 December 1874,[1] the son of Wat Tyler Cluverius Sr., and his wife Martha Lewis née Manning. He attended Tulane University before being appointed to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, which he entered on 20 May 1892.^[2]

In those days, naval cadets—the rank of midshipman would not exist for a few more years—by law had to serve for two years before they were eligible to take the examinations for the rank of ensign.^[3] Therefore, after graduation from the Naval Academy in June 1896, Cluverius was posted to the cruiser USS Columbia.^[2] In 1897 joined the crew of USS Maine. He was on board on 15 February 1898 when the ship suffered an explosion in Havana Harbor.^[1] Cluverius made his way out, splashing through water up to waist deep in the darkness, his path obstructed by wreckage. He joined other survivors on deck, and was rescued by SS City of Washington.^[4] He was one of only 89 survivors, of whom 18 were officers.^[5]

The loss of Maine helped precipitate the

In 1899, he became engaged to Hannah Walker Sampson, the daughter of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson. The families knew each other well, and Cluverius was an usher at the wedding of Hannah's sister Olive.^[6] On 5 April 1900, they were married in a ceremony at the Boston Navy Yard.^[2] Their marriage produced two daughters, Elizabeth (Betty) and Martha, and a son, Wat Tyler Cluverius III. Not only did their son become a naval officer, but both daughters married naval officers, John S. Crenshaw and William Sterling Parsons respectively.^[7][8] Both sons in law later became admirals.^[9]

Cluverius served at the Naval Academy on court martial duty and as commander of the

Cluverius, now a lieutenant commander, was posted to the battleship USS North Dakota in March 1914.^[2] From July to October 1914, he took part in the United States occupation of Veracruz, commanding a battalion of bluejackets that was landed from North Dakota.^[10] After returning to the ship he became its executive officer until July 1915, when he became commander of USS Dubuque. He was then posted back to the Naval Academy as an engineering instructor.^[2]

In November 1917, Cluverius became responsible for the conversion of the steamer SS

Cluverius commanded the cruiser

Secretary of the Navy, Curtis D. Wilbur.^[2]

Sea duty followed in 1926 as captain of the cruiser

Norfolk Navy Yard from 1928 to 1930, and commanded Battleship Division Two (BatDiv2) of the Scouting Fleet from June to November 1930.^[1] He then became chief of staff to the Commander in Chief United States Fleet, Admiral Jehu V. Chase, who flew his flag from the battleship USS Texas, the ship on which his son in law Deak Parsons was also serving.^[14]

Cluverius was commandant of the

Fourth Naval District and Philadelphia Navy Yard, a post he held until his retirement on 1 January 1939.^[2] He was decorated with Order of the Crown of Italy for his service in connection with aid for transatlantic flight of Italo Balbo.^[15]

Later life

In retirement, Cluverius became president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, in succession to Rear Admiral Ralph Earle, a Naval Academy classmate who died in February 1939. Cluverius announced that his priority would be to complete the building program envisaged by his predecessor. He began with a footbridge which was named in Earle's memory.^[16]

Cluverius returned to active duty during World War II as secretary of the Naval office of Public Information and as a member of the Navy Board of Production Awards. In this capacity he was involved in the conferring of

ROTC unit on the campus.^[18]

On 28 October 1952, Cluverius was returning by train from a Navy reunion in Philadelphia when he became so seriously ill that when the train stopped in New Haven he was taken to hospital, where he died.[19] The last surviving officer of USS Maine, he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, with his wife Hannah, who died on 20 January 1938.^[8] He was survived by his two daughters and his son.^[9][20]

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Rear admiral Wat Tyler Cluverius:^[21]

1st Row	Navy Distinguished Service Medal				Spanish Campaign Medal				Sampson Medal
2nd Row	Philippine Campaign Medal				Mexican Service Medal				World War I Victory Medal with Minelayer Clasp
3rd Row	American Campaign Medal				World War II Victory Medal				Officer of the Legion of Honour (France)
4th Row	Officer of the Order of Leopold (Belgium)				Commander of the Order of St. Olav (Norway)				Grand officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Ancell & Miller 1996, pp. 516–517
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} Navy Biographies Branch 1956
3. ^ Buell 1980, p. 15
4. ^ "Maine Survivor Recalls Blast that Shattered Battleship" (PDF). North Tonawanda NY Evening News. 13 February 1948. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
5. ^ "Survivors of USS Maine". Naval Historical Center. 6 February 1998. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
6. ^ "Another Miss Sampson to Wed" (PDF). Utica NY Observer. 23 January 1899. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
7. ^ Christman 1998, pp. 33–34
8. ^ ^{a b} "Mrs. Cluverius, Admiral's Wife, is Dead in East". Chicago Tribune. 21 January 1938. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
9. ^ ^{a b} "National Gravesite Locator". United States Department of Veterans' Affairs. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
10. ^ "List of Expeditions 1901–1929". Department of the Navy – Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
11. ^ Beals 1973, p. 88
12. ^ "Valor Awards for Wat Tyler Cluverius". Military Times. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
13. ^ "Army&Navy: Braid Men". Time. 2 July 1928. Archived from the original on 14 August 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
14. ^ Christman 1998, pp. 40–41
15. ^ "99 Americans get honors from Italy, The New York Times, THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 1934, page 19". timesmachine.nytimes.com. New York Times Websites. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
16. ^ Tymeson 1965, pp. 145, 161
17. ^ Tymeson 1965, p. 163
18. ^ Tymeson 1965, p. 166
19. ^ Tymeson 1965, p. 173
20. ^ "Last Survivor of Battleship Maine Dies" (PDF). Schenectady NY Gazette. 29 October 1952. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
21. ^ "Valor awards for Wat Tyler Cluverius". valor.militarytimes.com. Militarytimes Websites. Retrieved 10 December 2017.

References

• Ancell, R. Manning; Miller, Christine (1996). The Biographical Dictionary of World War II Generals and Flag Officers: The US Armed Forces. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.
  OCLC 33862161
  .
• Beals, Victor (September 1973). "Comment and Discussion". United States Naval Institute Proceedings.
• Buell, Thomas B. (1980). Master of Sea Power: A Biography of Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.
  OCLC 5799946
  .
• Christman, Albert B. (1998). Target Hiroshima: Deak Parsons and the Creation of the Atomic Bomb. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.
  OCLC 38257982
  .
• Navy Biographies Branch (30 November 1956), Rear Admiral Wat Tyler Cluverius, Washington, DC{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Tymeson, Mildred McClary (1965). The Two Towers: The Story of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Worcester, Massachusetts: Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
  OCLC 256366801. Archived from the original
  on 12 June 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2011.