French Ensor Chadwick
Rear Admiral French Ensor Chadwick USN (February 29, 1844 – January 27, 1919) was a United States Navy officer who became prominent in the naval reform movement of the post-Civil War era. He was particularly noted for his contributions to naval education, and served as President of the Naval War College from 1900–1903.
French Ensor Chadwick | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 29, 1844 Morgantown, West Virginia |
| Died | January 27, 1919 (aged 74) |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | United States Navy |
| Rank | Rear admiral |
| Commands held | Office of Naval Intelligence |
| Battles/incidents | American Civil War Spanish–American War |
| Awards | Sampson Medal Civil War Campaign Medal West Indies Campaign Medal |
A native of Morgantown, West Virginia, he attended the United States Naval Academy from 1861 to 1864. During the Civil War years, the academy was relocated from Annapolis, Maryland, to Newport, Rhode Island, due to concerns about secessionist sympathy in Maryland, a border state. In 1881, Lt Commander Chadwick led the investigation into the fog signals at Little Gull Island Light in Long Island Sound after the Galatea ran around in the fog during the evening of May 12, 1881.
Major sea commands included the gunboat USS Yorktown, commissioned in 1889. He served in the Spanish–American War, fighting at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.
As commander of the South Atlantic Squadron he played a major part in the Perdicaris incident of 1904 in Morocco.
He was also a noted historian who wrote several published books, including a noted work on The Causes of the Civil War.
In a 1917 speech, he complained that American women were not having enough children compared to immigrants, and that "soon the older American stock will be replaced completely." He also charged that boys were being made effeminate due to exposure of female public-school teachers.