George F. Emmons

George Foster Emmons (August 23, 1811 – July 23, 1884) was a rear admiral of the United States Navy, who served in the early to mid 19th century.

George Foster Emmons
Born	August 23, 1811 Clarendon, Vermont
Died	July 23, 1884 (aged 72) Princeton, New Jersey
Place of burial	Green Mount Cemetery, Baltimore, Maryland
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1828–1873
Rank	Rear Admiral
Commands held	Ossipee
Battles/wars	Mexican–American War American Civil War

Biography

He was born in Clarendon, Vermont on August 23, 1811. Emmons began his distinguished career as a midshipman on April 1, 1828.

As a lieutenant aboard the Peacock he participated in the Wilkes Exploring Expedition of 1838 to 1842, which discovered the Antarctic Continent, and throughout the South Seas.[1]

He was assigned command of the expedition's overland party conducting surveys and exploration from Puget Sound south to San Francisco. He served with great honor in the Mexican and Civil Wars. As commander of the Ossipee from 1867 to 1868, he carried to Alaska the commissioners who took formal possession for the United States. He became commodore in 1868, chief of the Hydrographic Office in 1870, and rear admiral in 1872. As a Rear Admiral, he commanded the Philadelphia Navy Yard until his retirement in 1873. Rear Admiral Emmons died in Princeton, New Jersey on July 23, 1884 at the age of 82. He is buried in Green Mount Cemetery, Baltimore, Maryland.

Namesake

In 1941, the Gleaves-class destroyer USS Emmons (DD-457) was named in his honor.

External links

• George Foster Emmons Papers. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

References

1. Stanton, William (1975). The Great United States Exploring Expedition. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 159. ISBN 0520025571.

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