William Pigott Cronan (March 6, 1879 – March 18, 1929) was a United States Navy

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

who served as the 19th

Naval Governor of Guam The governor of Guam ( ch, I Maga'låhen / ) is the head of government of Guam and the commander-in-chief of the Guam National Guard, whose responsibilities also include making the annual State of the Island (formerly the State of the Territo ...

. During his tenure in the Navy, he became decorated, commanded a number of ships, and came to be known as "the most popular man in the Navy". He participated in the

Battle of Santiago de Cuba The Battle of Santiago de Cuba was a decisive naval engagement that occurred on July 3, 1898 between an American fleet, led by William T. Sampson and Winfield Scott Schley, against a Spanish fleet led by Pascual Cervera y Topete, which occurred ...

during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. In 1903, he gained some attention for his participation in the rescue of a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n fisherman off the coast of

La Guaira La Guaira () is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of the same name (formerly named Vargas) and the country's main port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during ...

under bad conditions. Both the Venezuelan government and navy command praised him for the way he carried out the operation. He became a national news story in 1907 while serving aboard during a training operation. When a gun nearly exploded because of leaking powder; he shoved his hand into the gun's breechblock, preventing the explosion and losing two of his fingers in the process. He served as the first commanding officer of in 1911. He would later command the Atlantic Fleet Torpedo Flotilla Fifth Fleet from the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he first commanded and captured German

Corvette Captain Corvette captain is a rank in many navies which theoretically corresponds to command of a corvette (small warship). The equivalent rank in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth, and United States is lieutenant commander. The Royal Canadian Navy uses ...

Adalbert Zuckschwerdt off the coast of

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

. He also commanded during the war, for which he received the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

. The house he owned with wife Nellie Grant Cronan, granddaughter of President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

, is now an historical site in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

. He is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Life

Cronan was born on March 6, 1879 to Patrick J. Cronan and Ellen Theresa (Pigott) Cronan in

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

, Connecticut. His uncle, James P. Pigott, served in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. Another uncle,

James T. Mullen James Terrance Mullen (August 30, 1843 – July 6, 1891) was the first Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus from February 2, 1882 to May 17, 1886. He also served in the New Haven, Connecticut police and Fire Departments, and as an al ...

, was the first Supreme Knight of the Order of the Knights of Columbus. Cronan was an officer in the

New York Yacht Club The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...

. He married Nellie Grant, daughter of

Jesse Root Grant Jesse Root Grant (January 23, 1794 – June 29, 1873) was an American farmer, tanner and successful leather merchant who owned tanneries and leather goods shops in several different states throughout his adult life. He is best known as the ...

and granddaughter of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, in 1913. They had two daughters: Nellie Grant Cronan and Elizabeth Grant Cronan. Nellie was born in Tokyo and married

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 ...

Franklin Gibney Rothwell in 1942. From 1923 until his death in 1929 Cronan lived in

, California, in the William and Nell Cronan House, now considered an historical resource by the city. During his time in the Navy, he was known as "the most popular man in the Navy". He is buried at

Naval career

Cronan 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 ...

in 1898. While still a

naval cadet Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University A ...

he served aboard . Upon graduation, he participated in the

of the

aboard . He also served aboard as an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

. He subsequently served aboard , leaving the ship in 1901. In 1903, while serving aboard , Cronan and eight enlisted men rescued a

n fisherman off the coast of

under dangerous conditions, for which he received praise from the Venezuelan government and his superior officers. He also served with the

Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy The Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as the "JAG Corps" or "JAG", is the legal arm of the United States Navy. Today, the corps consists of a worldwide organization of more than 730 commissioned officers serving as judge advocates, 30 Lim ...

. In 1907, he gained some fame for an incident aboard during a

target practice In the military and in shooting, target practice are exercises in which weapons are shot at a target. The purpose of such exercises is to improve the aim or the weapons handling expertise of the person firing the weapon. Targets being shot at ...

exercise. Believing an explosion imminent within the breechblock of one of the ship's guns, Cronan shoved his hand within the block to prevent its closing. He prevented any explosion and lost two fingers of his right hand in the process. In 1911, Cronan became the first

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of as a

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 ...

. During his time in command, the ship struck a naval pier at full speed and took several hours to get loose. In 1913 he became the commander of the newly formed Atlantic Fleet Torpedo Flotilla Fifth Fleet and also commanded his

. Cronan served in

as the

of , a transport ship, for which he received the

. He retired as a

on October 4, 1923.

Governorship

Cronan served as acting

from April 29, 1916 to May 8, 1916. As the ranking officer present, he took command from outgoing governor

William John Maxwell William John Maxwell was a United States Navy officer who served as the 18th Naval Governor of Guam. He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1874, but was not commissioned as an ensign until 1883. He served aboard many ships before becoming ...

pending the arrival of appointee

Roy Campbell Smith Roy Campbell Smith (1858 – April 11, 1940) was an American naval officer and the Governor of Guam from 1916 to 1918. Early life On July 16, 1858, Smith was born in Fort Mason, Texas. Smith's father was Charles Henry Smith, an assistant surge ...

. Cronan remained in

after his tenure as governor as commander of . He captured German

Adalbert Zuckschwerdt after the German officer exploded rather than allow her to be captured in Apra Harbor during

. He reportedly greeted Zuckschwerdt with the accolade "Sir, you are a brave man."

References

External links

Arlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cronan, William P United States Naval Academy alumni Governors of Guam 1879 births 1929 deaths Military personnel from New Haven, Connecticut Members of the New York Yacht Club People from San Diego Burials at Arlington National Cemetery American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps American amputees Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Military personnel from California