Chauncey Thomas Jr. (April 27, 1850 – May 12, 1919) was a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

of 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 ...

. The son of

Chauncey Thomas Chauncey Thomas (August 13, 1813 in Damascus, Wayne County, Pennsylvania – October 5, 1882 in Shohola Glen, Pike County, Pennsylvania), was one of eleven children born to mill owner and entrepreneur Moses Thomas and his wife, Rebecca Monin ...

, a farmer and entrepreneur, who built four bridges across the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

at Shohola Glen, Pennsylvania, Thomas Jr., graduated from the

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

third in the class of 1871. He was the Commander of the

United States Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...

when he retired in 1912. He died at the age of 69 in Pacific Grove, California.

The Albatross expedition

Chauncey Thomas, as captain, commanded the US Fish Commission steamer, during a scientific expedition in the Hawaiian Islands and southern Pacific in 1902. Orders issued at the onset of the expedition made it unclear where ultimate authority in the expedition lay, with the ship's captain, or the scientist-in-charge,

Charles Henry Gilbert Charles Henry Gilbert (December 5, 1859 in Rockford, Illinois – April 20, 1928 in Palo Alto, California) was a pioneer ichthyologist and Fisheries science, fishery biologist of particular significance to natural history of the western Unit ...

(1859–1929). Before leaving port, Thomas requested clarification, which he received, confirming the norm: that the ship's captain always had ultimate authority regarding the safety of the crew and the ship. The expedition proceeded, but was marred by a barrage of complaints that pitted the scientific crew against the ship's crew, and was characterized by lengthy letters.

Career

Thomas held a variety of commands in the United States Navy. For 27 months, he was commander of the gunboat , which cruised in the eastern Pacific along the coasts of North and South America Alaskan ports in the summer of 1903 and the coast of Central America the following fall and winter.

Rear Admiral

As commander of the Second Squadron of the Pacific Fleet, he relieved Rear Admiral Edward B. Barry as Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet in January 1911 upon orders of the Naval Department. Admiral Barry was forced to resign after an alleged affair with a cabin boy.

Family and residence

In 1895, Chauncey Thomas purchased the property known as Hitching Post Hill, an early 19th-century horse farm in

Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrook ...

, Maryland.

Namesake

Camp Thomas, formed in 1910 as a base for the

4th Marine Regiment The 4th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Based at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan, it is part of the 3rd Marine Division of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. Mission Close with and destroy the enemy by fi ...

, was named for him. The Regiment was deployed there against the possibility of the disorder in Mexico spreading to Southern California. Camp Thomas disbanded in June, 1911.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Chauncey Jr. 1919 deaths 1850 births People from Sullivan County, New York United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy admirals