Henry D. Todd (August 25, 1838 - March 8, 1907) was a career officer in 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 ...

. A

Union Navy ), (official) , colors = Blue and gold , colors_label = Colors , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label ...

veteran of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and a longtime professor at 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 ...

, he attained the relative rank of rear admiral. In addition to serving as head of the Naval Academy's physics and chemistry department, for many years he oversaw publication of the Navy's annual '' American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac'', first as assistant director and later as director.

Early life

Henry Davis Todd was born in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

on August 25, 1838, the son of John Neatby Todd, a ship's

purser A purser is the person on a ship principally responsible for the handling of money on board. On modern merchant ships, the purser is the officer responsible for all administration (including the ship's cargo and passenger manifests) and supply. ...

in the

and Julia (Parsons) Todd. He was educated in the schools of

Nyack, New York Nyack () is a Village (New York), village located primarily in the Town (New York), town of Orangetown, New York, Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, Rockland County, New York (state), New York, United States. Incorporated in 1872, it retai ...

and began attendance at the

as an acting

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 ...

in 1853. He graduated in 1857 and began duties as a midshipman.

Early career

Todd was a career Navy officer. He was appointed a

passed midshipman A passed midshipman, sometimes called as "midshipman, passed", is a term used historically in the 19th century to describe a midshipman who had passed the lieutenant's exam and was eligible for promotion to lieutenant as soon as there was a vacan ...

in June 1860,

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

in October 1860,

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in April 1861, and

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

in January 1863. In August 1860, he was serving aboard USS ''

Mohican The Mohican ( or , alternate spelling: Mahican) are an Eastern Algonquian Native American tribe that historically spoke an Algonquian language. As part of the Eastern Algonquian family of tribes, they are related to the neighboring Lenape, who ...

'' as part of the

Africa Squadron The Africa Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy that operated from 1819 to 1861 in the Blockade of Africa to suppress the slave trade along the coast of West Africa. However, the term was often ascribed generally to anti-slavery oper ...

when ''Mohican'' captured the slave ship ''Erie'', commanded by

Nathaniel Gordon Nathaniel Gordon (February 6, 1826 – February 21, 1862) was the only slave trader in the U.S. to be tried, convicted, and executed for having "engaged in the slave trade," under the Piracy Law of 1820. Early life Gordon was born in Port ...

. Todd took command of ''Erie'' as a prize of war and sailed for

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As th ...

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

, where he turned nearly 900 captured Africans, most of them children, over to a Liberian government agent so they could be returned to their homes. Todd provided evidence at Gordon's 1862 trial and Gordon was convicted of violating the Piracy Law of 1820. He was hanged in February 1862, and was the only person ever convicted of violating the piracy law. At the beginning of the

, Todd served aboard USS ''

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

'', which took part in destroying the Norfolk Naval Shipyard to prevent its use by the

Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...

. He took part in numerous engagements in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, and was wounded during an 1862 battle on the Appomattox River. During 1862 and 1863, Todd served as flag lieutenant to Admiral

Charles Wilkes Charles Wilkes (April 3, 1798 – February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer, ship's captain, and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–1842). During the American Civil War (1861–1865), he commanded ' during the ...

. From 1863 until the end of the war, he served aboard USS ''

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

''.

Continued career

In 1865 and 1866, Todd was a mathematics instructor at the Naval Academy. Between 1867 and 1877, Todd taught first in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

, and later in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. In 1877 he returned to the Naval Academy faulty, and he remained a member until his retirement. Beginning with the relative rank of lieutenant as an assistant professor, Todd later held the relative rank of commander as a full professor and head of a faculty department, and captain as assistant director of publication for the ''Nautical Almanac''. When he was appointed director, Todd received promotion to the relative rank of rear admiral. From 1879 to 1886, Todd was head of the physics and chemistry department at the Naval Academy. In 1886, he became assistant director of publication for the Navy's annual '' American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac''. In 1899, he became director, and he remained in this post until 1900. Having reached the mandatory retirement age of 62, Todd left the Navy in August 1900.

Retirement and death

In retirement, Todd was a resident of

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

. He died at his home in Annapolis on March 8, 1907. Todd was buried at the

United States Naval Academy Cemetery The United States Naval Academy Cemetery and Columbarium is a cemetery at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. History In 1868 the Naval Academy purchased a 67-acre piece of land called Strawberry Hill as part of their effort ...

Family

In 1865, Todd married Flora Johnson (1845-1933), the daughter of John Johnson Jr., a prominent Maryland attorney and judge. Her grandfather was

John Johnson Sr. John Johnson Sr. (September 12, 1770 – July 30, 1824) was a Maryland attorney and judge, and the fourth Chancellor of Maryland, from 1821 to 1824.William J. Marbury,The High Court of Chancery and the Chancellors of Maryland, Report of the Tenth ...

and

Reverdy Johnson Reverdy Johnson (May 21, 1796February 10, 1876) was a statesman and jurist from Maryland. He gained fame as a defense attorney, defending notables such as Sandford of the Dred Scott case, Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter at his court-martial, and Mary ...

was her uncle. The Todds were the parents of Mary Johnson Todd and

Henry D. Todd Jr. Henry Davis Todd Jr. (August 29, 1866 – January 22, 1964) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Spanish–American War and World War I he attained the rank of major general and was most prominent for his command of ...

Henry Davis Todd Jr. was a career officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

and attained the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Todd, Henry Davis 1838 births 1907 deaths People from Cambridge, Massachusetts People from Nyack, New York Union Navy officers United States Naval Academy alumni United States Naval Academy faculty United States Navy rear admirals Burials at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery Military personnel from Massachusetts