Gideon Welles (July 1, 1802 – February 11, 1878) was an American government official who was the
United States Secretary of the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the United States Department of the Navy, Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On Mar ...
from 1861 to 1869, a cabinet post he was awarded after supporting
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
in the
1860 election. Although opposed to the
Union blockade
The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederate States of America, Confederacy from trading.
The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required ...
of Southern ports, he duly carried out his part of the
Anaconda Plan, largely sealing off the Confederate coastline and preventing the exchange of cotton for war supplies. This is viewed as a major cause of Union victory in the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, and his achievement in expanding the Navy almost tenfold was widely praised. Welles was also instrumental in the Navy's creation of the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
. Lincoln nicknamed him his "Neptune".
Early political career
Gideon Welles, the son of Samuel Welles and Ann Hale, was born on July 1, 1802, in
Glastonbury, Connecticut
Glastonbury ( ) is a town in the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, United States, formally founded in 1693 and first settled in 1636. It was named after Glastonbury in Somerset, England. Glastonbury is ...
.
His father was a shipping merchant and fervent
Jeffersonian; he was a member of the Convention, which formed the first state
Connecticut Constitution in 1818 that abolished the colonial charter and officially severed the pre-
American Revolution
The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
political ties to England. In contrast to the
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
The Fundamental Orders were adopted by the Connecticut Colony council on . The fundamental orders describe the government set up by the Connecticut River New England town, towns, setting its structure and powers and was a driven attempt for the ...
, the successor constitution of 1818 provided for freedom of religion. He was a member of the seventh generation of his family in America. His original immigrant ancestor was
Thomas Welles, who arrived in 1635 and was the only man in Connecticut's history to hold all four top offices: governor, deputy governor, treasurer, and secretary. He was also the transcriber of the Fundamental Orders. Welles was the second great-grandson of Capt. Samuel Welles and Ruth (Rice) Welles, the daughter of
Edmund Rice, a 1638 immigrant to
Sudbury and founder of
Marlborough, Massachusetts
Marlborough is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 41,793 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Marlborough became a prosperous industrial town in the 19th century and made the transition to high ...
.
He married on June 16, 1835, at Lewiston, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania,
Mary Jane Hale,
who was born on June 18, 1817, in Glastonbury, Connecticut, the daughter of Elias White Hale and Jane Mullhallan. Her father, Elias, graduated from
Yale College
Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
in 1794 and practiced law in Mifflin and Centre Counties, Pennsylvania. She died on February 28, 1886, in Hartford, Connecticut, and was buried next to her husband in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford. Gideon and Mary Jane were the parents of six children.
He was educated at the
Episcopal Academy at Cheshire, Connecticut, and earned a degree at the American Literary, Scientific, and Military Academy at Norwich, Vt. (later
Norwich University
Norwich University is a private university in Northfield, Vermont, United States. The university was founded in 1819 as the "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy". It is the oldest of six senior military college, senior militar ...
).
He became a lawyer through the then-common practice of reading the law, but soon shifted to journalism and became the founder and editor of the ''
Hartford Times'' in 1826. After successfully gaining admission, from 1827 to 1835, he participated in the
Connecticut House of Representatives as a Democrat. Following his service in the
Connecticut General Assembly, he served in various posts, including State Controller of Public Accounts in 1835,
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
of
Hartford
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
(1836–41), and Chief of the
Bureau of Provisions and Clothing for the Navy (1846–49).
Welles was a
Jacksonian Democrat who worked very closely with
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...
and
John Milton Niles. His chief rival in the Connecticut Democratic Party was
Isaac Toucey, whom Welles would later replace at the Navy Department. While Welles dutifully supported
James K. Polk in the 1844 election, he would abandon the Democrats in 1848 to support Van Buren's
Free Soil campaign.
Mainly because of his strong
anti-slavery views, Welles shifted allegiance in 1854 to the newly established
Republican Party and founded a newspaper in 1856 (the ''Hartford Evening Press'') that would espouse Republican ideals for decades thereafter. He was the Republican nominee for governor in the
1856 Connecticut gubernatorial election, coming in third behind
William T. Minor and
Samuel Ingham.
Secretary of the Navy
Image:Emancipation proclamation.jpg, upright=1.25, '' First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln'' by Francis Bicknell Carpenter
Francis Bicknell Carpenter (August 6, 1830 – May 23, 1900) was an American painter born in Homer (town), New York, Homer, New York. Carpenter is best known for his painting ''First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln ...
(1864) ''(Clickable image—use cursor to identify.)'', alt=A dark-haired, bearded, middle-aged man holding documents is seated among seven other men.
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Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
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The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Proclamation had the eff ...
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Welles' strong support of
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
in the
1860 presidential election made him the logical candidate from New England for Lincoln's cabinet. In March 1861, Lincoln named Welles his
Secretary of the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...
.
Welles found the
Naval Department in disarray, with Southern officers resigning en masse. His first major action was to dispatch the Navy's most powerful warship, the
USS ''Powhatan'', to relieve Fort Sumter on Lincoln's instructions. Unfortunately, Secretary of State
Seward had just ordered the ''Powhatan'' to
Fort Pickens, Florida on his own authority, ruining whatever chance Major
Robert Anderson had of withstanding the assault. Several weeks later, when Seward argued for a blockade of Southern ports, Welles argued vociferously against the action but was eventually overruled by Lincoln. Despite his misgivings, Welles' efforts to rebuild the Navy and implement the blockade proved extraordinarily effective. From 76 ships and 7,600 sailors in 1861, the Navy expanded almost tenfold by 1865. His implementation of the Naval portion of the
Anaconda Plan strongly weakened the Confederacy's ability to finance the war by limiting the cotton trade, and while never completely effective in sealing off all 3,500 miles of Southern coastline, it was a major contribution towards Northern victory. Lincoln nicknamed Welles his "
Neptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun. It is the List of Solar System objects by size, fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 t ...
."
After Lincoln's assassination, Welles was retained by President
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...
as Secretary of the Navy. In 1866, Welles, along with Seward, was instrumental in launching the National Union Party as a third party alternative supportive of Johnson's reconciliation policies. Welles also played a prominent part in Johnson's ill-fated "
Swing Around the Circle" campaign that autumn. Although Welles admitted in his diary that he was dismayed by Johnson's behavior on the trip, particularly the president's penchant for invective and engaging directly with hecklers, Welles remained loyal to Johnson, and supported him during
his impeachment.
[''Connecticut History] On April 17 and 18, 1868, Welles testified in
the impeachment trial of Johnson, having been called as a witness by Johnson's defense team. His son Edgar also testified that day.
Later life and death

After leaving politics, Welles returned to Connecticut and to writing, editing his journals, and authoring several books before his death, including a biography, ''Lincoln and Seward'', published in 1874.
He was a Third Class 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 military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...
. While the Loyal Legion did consist predominantly of Union officers who had served in 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 ...
the Order's constitution provided for honorary members (i.e. Third Class Companions) who were civilians who had made significant contributions to the war effort. Welles was also instrumental in the Navy's creation of the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
.
Towards the end of 1877, his health began to wane. Welles died from a streptococcal throat infection, at the age of seventy-five, on February 11, 1878.
His body was interred at
Cedar Hill Cemetery in
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
.
Legacy
Two ships have been named
USS ''Welles'' in his honor. The Dining Commons at
Cheshire Academy and the Gideon Welles School in
Glastonbury, Connecticut
Glastonbury ( ) is a town in the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, United States, formally founded in 1693 and first settled in 1636. It was named after Glastonbury in Somerset, England. Glastonbury is ...
, are also named after him. In the
Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago,
Welles Park was dedicated in his honor in 1910, and an adjacent restaurant, opened in 2014, was also named after Gideon Welles.
He was not an ancestor of
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...
as the actor had claimed on ''
The Dick Cavett Show''.
See also
*
Bibliography of early American naval history
Notes
References
* Boulard, Garry "The Swing Around the Circle—Andrew Johnson and the Train Ride that Destroyed a Presidency" (iUniverse, 2008)
*
*
*
*
* Siemiatkoski, Donna Holt. ''The Descendants of Governor Thomas Welles of Connecticut, 1590–1658, and His Wife, Alice Tomes'' Baltimore: Publisher, Gateway Press, 1990.
*
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
Lincoln and Seward by Gideon Welles, New York: Publisher, Sheldon and Company, 1874.
Mr. Lincoln's White House: Gideon Welles at the
Naval Historical Center
The Naval History and Heritage Command, formerly the Naval Historical Center, is an Echelon II command responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage located at the historic Washington Navy Yard ...
Welles Family Association, Inc.*
ttps://www.forbes.com/2009/04/24/collecting-lincoln-valuable-lifestyle-collecting-lincoln.html Lost Letters of Gideon Wellesbr>
Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library Emory University
Welles family papers, 1712-1871
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welles, Gideon
1802 births
1878 deaths
19th-century American journalists
19th-century American newspaper publishers (people)
American abolitionists
American naval historians
American people of English descent
American male journalists
American newspaper editors
Connecticut postmasters
Andrew Johnson administration cabinet members
Burials at Cedar Hill Cemetery (Hartford, Connecticut)
Connecticut comptrollers
Connecticut Democrats
Connecticut Jacksonians
Connecticut lawyers
Connecticut Republicans
Lincoln administration cabinet members
Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives
Norwich University alumni
People from Glastonbury, Connecticut
People of Connecticut in the American Civil War
Union (American Civil War) political leaders
United States secretaries of the navy
Cheshire Academy alumni
Historians from Connecticut
Testifying witnesses of the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson
19th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly