George Eugene Belknap (January 22, 1832 – 7 April 1903) was a rear admiral in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. USS ''Belknap'' (DD-251) was named for him.

Naval career

Born in

Newport, New Hampshire Newport is a town in and the county seat of Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. It is west-northwest of Concord, the state capital. The population of Newport was 6,299 at the 2020 census. A covered bridge is in the northwest. The ar ...

, Belknap was appointed a Midshipman in 1847. He commanded the

monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West ...

during the attacks on

Battle of Fort Fisher Battle of Fort Fisher may refer to: * First Battle of Fort Fisher – 1864 * Second Battle of Fort Fisher – 1865 {{disambiguation ...

, and the sloop-of-war during the Formosa Expedition of 1867. He was the senior officer present during the riots following David Kalākaua's election as the

King of Hawaii Kamehameha I established the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1795 after conquering most of the Hawaiian Islands. In 1810, Kaumualiʻi became a vassal of Kamehameha I, who therefore emerged as the sole sovereign of the island chain of Hawaiʻi. His dyna ...

in 1874. Belknap commanded the

United States Naval Observatory United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is a scientific and military facility that produces geopositioning, navigation and timekeeping data for the United States Navy and the United States Department of Defense. Established in 1830 as the Depo ...

from 1885 to 1886 and the Mare Island Naval Shipyard from 1886 to 1890. Belknap was appointed as a rear admiral on 12 February 1889. He served as the Commander of the Asiatic Squadron from 4 April 1889 to 20 February 1892. He retired from the Navy on 22 January 1894. In August 1902, Belknap and his wife visited the United Kingdom, including Devonport as guests of Rear Admiral

William Hannam Henderson Admiral Sir William Hannam Henderson, (20 June 1845 – 29 April 1931) was a British flag officer of the Royal Navy, and the first editor of '' The Naval Review''. Family background Henderson was born in the coastal village of Worth in Kent, t ...

, the Admiral Superintendent of the dockyard. Belknap died at Key West, Florida, 7 April 1903.

Memberships

Belknap was a member of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

, a Veteran Companion of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

(MOLLUS) and an Honorary Companion of the

Military Order of Foreign Wars The Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States (MOFW) is one of the oldest veterans' and hereditary associations in the nation with a membership that includes officers and their hereditary descendants from all of the Armed Services. Memb ...

. He was also a member of the New Hampshire Society of the

Sons of the American Revolution The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR or NSSAR) is an American congressionally chartered organization, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. A non-profit corporation, it has described its purpose ...

Legacy

A portrait of Admiral Belknap is on display in Luce Hall at the United States

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

in Newport, Rhode Island.

Family

He was the father of Rear Admiral Reginald R. Belknap who served as national Commander-in-Chief of MOLLUS from 1947 to 1951.

Dates of Rank

* Midshipman - October 8, 1847 *

Passed Midshipman A passed midshipman, sometimes called as "midshipman, passed", is a term used historically in the 19th century to describe a midshipman who had passed the lieutenant's exam and was eligible for promotion to lieutenant as soon as there was a vacan ...

- June 10, 1853 * Master - September 15, 1855

References

* Dates of promotion from ''The Records of Living Officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps'', Sixth Edition, 1889, by Lewis Randolph Hamersly

Attribution

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Belknap, George Eugene 1832 births 1903 deaths People from Newport, New Hampshire United States Navy rear admirals (upper half) Belknap George Union Navy officers