Edward Simpson (March 3, 1824 – December 1, 1888) served as an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

and the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, eventually attaining the rank of

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

. His service included being assigned as

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

of several Navy ships and serving with distinction in various shore assignments.

Early life

Edward Simpson was born on March 3, 1824, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, to parents

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and Elizabeth (Jones) Simpson, both actors.

U.S. Navy career

Simpson was appointed

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

in the United States Navy in February 1840, shortly before his sixteenth birthday. He served afloat until late 1845, when he became a member of the first class of

midshipmen A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afric ...

to be trained at the new

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

Pre-Civil War service

After graduation on July 9, 1846, Simpson reported to USS ''Vixen'' and participated in numerous bombardments during the

. During the next 15 years, he served afloat in the

Brazil Squadron The Brazil Squadron, the Brazil Station, or the South Atlantic Squadron was an overseas military station established by the United States in 1826 to protect American commerce in the South Atlantic during a war between Brazil and Argentina. When t ...

and the China Squadron and with the

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, and ashore in two tours at the U.S. Naval Academy, first as gunnery instructor, then in 1860 as head of the department of ordnance and gunnery.

Civil War service

In May 1861, shortly after the outbreak of the

, Simpson moved with the Naval Academy to Newport, Rhode Island, where it was relocated for the duration of the war. In 1862 he became Commandant of Midshipmen. In June 1863 he took command of 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, Wes ...

, USS ''Passaic''. He participated in bombardments at

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, from July to November 1863. From July to December 1864, he commanded ''Isonomia'' in the East Gulf Blockading Squadron; and, then served from February to April 1865 as Fleet Captain of the

West Gulf Blockading Squadron The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederacy from trading. The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required the monitoring of of Atlantic ...

and of the forces attacking

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Post-war activity

After the war, he alternated tours of command ashore and afloat with tours of ordnance duty, including a mission to

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

in 1870–72, and command of the

Naval Torpedo Station The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) is the United States Navy's full-spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive weapons ...

in 1873 and again from 1874 to 1875. As of 1880, he was the officer in charge of the naval station in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...

. In 1883, he was appointed president of a board to select a site for a government gun factory and made another study trip to

. Promoted to

on February 9, 1884, he served as president of the Naval Advisory Board and president of the

Board of Inspection and Survey The Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) is a United States Navy organization whose purpose is to inspect and assess the material condition of U.S. Navy vessels. The Board is currently headquartered at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virg ...

until his retirement on March 3, 1886.

Post-Navy career

Rear Admiral Simpson died in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, December 1, 1888, and was buried in Cypress Hills Cemetery. The destroyer USS ''Simpson'' (DD-221), commissioned on November 3, 1920, was named in his honor. His son, Edward Simpson Jr., also became a rear admiral, and his daughter Ruth married Rear Admiral Charles Mitchell Thomas.

Promotions

* Midshipman – February 11, 1840 * Passed midshipman – July 11, 1846 * Master – July 10, 1854 * Lieutenant – April 18, 1855 * Lieutenant commander – July 16, 1862 * Commander – March 3, 1865 * Captain – August 15, 1870 * Commodore – April 26, 1878 * Rear admiral – February 9, 1884 * Retired list – March 3, 1886

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Edward 1824 births 1888 deaths United States Naval Academy alumni Union Navy officers United States Navy personnel of the Mexican–American War United States Navy admirals Military personnel from New York City People of New York (state) in the American Civil War