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Richard Wainwright
December 17, 1849(1849-12-17) – March 6, 1926 (aged 76)
Richard Wainwright in 1902
Place of birth	Washington, D.C.
Place of death	Washington, D.C.
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1864-1911
Rank	Rear Admiral
Commands held	USS Gloucester 2nd Division, Great White Fleet
Battles/wars	Battle of Santiago de Cuba, 3 July 1898
Relations	Son of Cmdr. Richard Wainwright Father of Cmdr. Richard Wainwright

Rear Admiral Richard Wainwright (17 December 1849 – 6 March 1926), son of Commander Richard Wainwright, was an officer in the United States Navy during the Spanish-American War.

Biography

Early life and ancestors

Born in Washington, D.C., the son of Sarah Franklin Bache and Richard Wainwright. He was the grandson of Richard Bache, Jr., who served in the Republic of Texas Navy and was elected as a Representative to the Second Texas Legislature in 1847 and Sophia Burrell Dallas, the daughter of Arabella Maria Smith and Alexander J. Dallas an American statesman who served as the U.S. Treasury Secretary under President James Madison. He was also great-grandson of Sarah Franklin Bache and Richard Bache, and more notably he was the great-great-grandson of Benjamin Franklin as well as a nephew of George Mifflin Dallas the 11th Vice President of the United States, serving under James K. Polk.

Marriage and family

He married on September 11, 1873 at Washington, D.C., Evelyn Wotherspoon, born June 13, 1853 at Washington, D.C., and died on November 24, 1937 at Washington, D.C.^[1]. Their son, Richard Wainwright, Jr., Commander, United States Navy, earned the Medal of Honor for his service at Vera Cruz, Mexico, and is also buried in the cemetery at the United States Naval Academy.

His brother-in-law was Admiral Seaton Schroeder.

Career

Wainwright was initially commissioned in the United States Navy on 28 September 1864. Wainwright was executive officer on board the battleship Maine when she blew up in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, on 15 February 1898. Surviving the explosion, he was assigned to command of the tender Fern and was in charge of the recovery of the bodies of the victims. He also assisted in the collection of information for the subsequent court of inquiry.

Wainwright later commanded the gunboat Gloucester at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba on 3 July 1898. In this engagement, Gloucester sank one Spanish torpedo boat and drove another on the beach. Wainwright was commended for his valor in this action. Later, promoted to rear admiral, he commanded the Second Division of the United States Atlantic Fleet during that fleet's historic voyage around the world from 1907 to 1909.

Retired from active duty on December 7, 1911. Admiral Wainwright died on March 6, 1926 in Washington, D.C.^[2]

Namesakes

Three ships have been named USS Wainwright for Richard, his father, his son and two cousins.

See also

• List of Superintendents of the United States Naval Academy

Notes

References

• This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.