Sumner Increase Kimball (September 2, 1834 – June 20, 1923) was the organizer of the

United States Life-Saving Service The United States Life-Saving ServiceDespite the lack of hyphen in its insignia, the agency itself is hyphenated in government documents including: and was a United States government agency that grew out of private and local humanitarian effort ...

and the General Superintendent of the Life-Saving Service from 1878–1915. Originally a lawyer and a legislative administrator, Kimball spent his life creating and leading the Life-Saving Service, one of the predecessor services that eventually became the

US Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, multi ...

, transforming it from an uneven collection of facilities round the US coastline into a coherent and well-trained organization.

Biography

Sumner Increase Kimball was born in

Lebanon, Maine Lebanon is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 6,469 at the 2020 census. Lebanon includes the villages of Center Lebanon, West Lebanon, North Lebanon, South Lebanon and East Lebanon. It is the westernmost town in Ma ...

on September 2, 1834. Raised in

Sanford, Maine Sanford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 21,982 in the 2020 census, making it the seventh largest municipality in the state. Situated on the Mousam River, Sanford includes the village of Springvale. The city ...

, he graduated from

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

in 1855, and was admitted to the

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in 1858. He was elected to the

Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via p ...

in 1859. He became a clerk in the

United States Treasury Department The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an United States federal executive departments, executive department. The departme ...

in 1862, and was placed in charge of the Revenue Marine Bureau there in 1871. When the Life-Saving Bureau was organized in 1878 he was appointed its head. Under his direction, the Life-Saving Service was extended to the

Pacific Coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western or southwestern border, except for Panama, where the Pac ...

and the

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. He served as superintendent of the Lifesaving Service for 37 years. Kimball also served in several other positions at the Treasury Department (acting Register, acting Comptroller, acting Solicitor). He was the author of ''Organization and Methods of the United States Life-Saving Service'' (1889) and ''Joshua James: Life-Saver'' (1909). He died at his home in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

on June 20, 1923.

Legacy

The Coast Guard cutter is named in Kimball's honor. She is a -class cutter, also known as a National Security Cutter. As of 2022, these are the largest and most capable cutters in the Coast Guard fleet. They can perform a wide array of law enforcement duties, as well coastal defense and anti-terrorism if needed. They can also be called upon by the Department of Defense to work with the

US 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 of ...

in a both a national defense capacity, as well as performing military missions overseas.

References

External links

Biography
- detailed biography, with photographs, on U.S. Coast Guard website
The United States Life-Saving Service
contemporary article printed in The Bay State Monthly, 1890 * Bowdoin College alumni American non-fiction writers 1834 births 1923 deaths People from Lebanon, Maine People from Sanford, Maine Writers from Maine Members of the Maine House of Representatives Clerks Maine lawyers 19th-century American lawyers {{USCG-bio-stub