Edward Maddin (May 15, 1852 – August 15, 1925) was a

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 ...

sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

Biography

Born on May 15, 1852, in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, Maddin joined the Navy from Massachusetts. By January 9, 1876, he was serving as an

ordinary seaman __NOTOC__ An ordinary seaman (OS) is a member of the deck department of a ship. The position is an apprenticeship to become an able seaman, and has been for centuries. In modern times, an OS is required to work on a ship for a specific amount o ...

on the . On that morning, while ''Franklin'' was at

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, Landsman Henry O. Neil fell from the ship's lower

boom Boom may refer to: Objects * Boom (containment), a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill * Boom (navigational barrier), an obstacle used to control or block marine navigation * Boom (sailing), a sailboat part * Boom (windsurfi ...

into the water and was swept away by a strong tidal current. Maddin and another sailor, Seaman John Handran, jumped overboard and kept Neil afloat until a boat could be sent to their assistance. For this action, both Maddin and Handran were awarded the Medal of Honor a month later, on February 15. Maddin's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Serving on board the U.S.S. ''Franklin'' at Lisbon, Portugal, 9 January 1876. Displaying gallant conduct, Maddin jumped overboard and rescued one of the crew of that vessel from drowning.

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* 1852 births 1925 deaths People from Newfoundland (island) Canadian emigrants to the United States United States Navy sailors United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Canadian-born Medal of Honor recipients Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor {{US-navy-bio-stub

Biography

See also

References

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