Andrew Ellicott Kennedy Benham (April 10, 1832 – August 11, 1905) was an American admiral. In his early career, he served in China, the Pacific and Paraguay. During the American Civil War, he took part in the capture of Port Royal, South Carolina, and patrolled the Texas coast as part of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron.

Family

Born in Staten Island, New York, near New Dorp, Benham was the son of Navy Commander Timothy Green Benham (10 August 1792 – 17 June 1860) and Juliet Lockman. He married Emma Hester Seaman (1833–1924), the daughter of Henry John Seaman (1805–1861) and Katherine Sarah (née Seaman) Seaman (1813–1896). They had three children: a daughter who died in infancy c. 1866; Henry Kennedy Benham born in 1867 and who died of appendicitis in 1904; and Edith Wallace Benham (1874–1962), who served for 25 years as the Social Secretary for the White House under Woodrow Wilson,

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, and Harry Truman and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Early service with the United States Navy

Benham was appointed a

midshipman 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 Afr ...

on November 24, 1847, and served in the

East Indies Squadron East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

on board the

sloop-of-war In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...

in 1847 and 1848 and on board the

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

in 1849 and 1850. In the latter warship, he participated in the capture of a pirate Chinese junk near Macau, China. During this action, he received a pike wound in the thigh. After another tour of duty in ''Plymouth'' followed by one in the frigate , Benham attended the

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) 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 Secretary of ...

in 1852 and early 1853.

Paraguay expedition

On June 10, 1853, he was promoted to passed midshipman. From mid-1853 to early 1857, he served in the sloop of war with the Pacific Squadron. On September 16, 1855, while still in ''St. Mary's'', Benham was commissioned a lieutenant. He next served a tour of duty with the U.S. Coast Survey late in 1857 and early in 1858. Later that year, he was transferred to the steamer ''Western Port'' (renamed ''Wyandotte'') assigned to the expedition sent to Paraguay to extract an apology for shooting at the gunboat . In 1860, he moved to the steamer in the Home Squadron.

American Civil War

After the Civil War broke out, Lt. Benham served on board the steamer in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron and, in her, took part in the capture of Port Royal, South Carolina, on November 7, 1861. On the date that rank was established, July 16, 1862, Benham was promoted to lieutenant commander. Following brief service in Sacramento, California, in 1863, he assumed command of the gunboat ''Penobscot'' and served in her through the end of the Civil War, patrolling the Texas coast as part of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron.

Post-Civil War

Upon the return of peace, he served at the

New York Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a ...

from 1866 to 1870, but for a stint of duty in in 1867. Following duty as a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

inspector in 1870 and 1871, Benham commanded first ''Canonicus'' and then , both on the

North Atlantic Station The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the Nort ...

and returned to lighthouse inspecting in 1874. After commanding on the Asiatic Station between 1878 and 1881, he went to the Portsmouth Navy Yard. The years 1885 and 1886 brought him his third tour of duty as lighthouse inspector. Following a tour of duty at League Island, Pennsylvania, in 1888, he became commandant of the Mare Island Navy Yard in 1889.

Namesakes

Three U.S. Navy ships have subsequently been named in his honor: *, an . *, the lead destroyer of the , which sank in battle during 1942. *, a which operated during World War II. *

Benham Rise The Benham Rise, officially known as Philippine Rise, is an extinct volcanic ridge located in the Philippine Sea approximately east of the northern coastline of Dinapigue, Isabela. The rise has been known to the people of Catanduanes as Kalip ...

in the

Philippine Sea The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean east of the Philippine archipelago (hence the name), the largest in the world, occupying an estimated surface area of . The Philippine Sea Plate forms the floor of the sea. Its ...

west of Luzon was named after him.

Attribution

External links

Admiral Benham
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benham, Andrew E. K. 1832 births 1905 deaths Union Navy officers People from New Dorp, Staten Island United States Navy rear admirals (upper half) People of New York (state) in the American Civil War United States Naval Academy alumni