Harry G. Hamlet
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Harry Gabriel Hamlet (27 August 1874 – 24 January 1954) was the seventh Commandant of the
United States 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, mult ...
, from 1932 to 1936.


Early life and career

Hamlet was born in Eastport, Maine, and was the son of Captain Oscar G. Hamlet, an officer in the United States Revenue Cutter Service. Upon graduation from high school in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, he attended the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
. He was appointed as one of twelve cadets to the recently reopened Revenue Cutter Service School of Instruction on 12 April 1894 and received training aboard USRC ''Chase'', the school's newly refitted training cutter.Noble, p. 30King, pp. 165–166 After completion of training, Hamlet was commissioned as a third lieutenant on 27 April 1896 and was assigned to USRC ''Bear'' and served aboard her during the Overland Relief Expedition which involved the rescue of whalers trapped in Arctic ice near Point Barrow, Alaska. Hamlet was promoted to
second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
on 11 August 1897."Register of the Officers, Vessels, and Stations of the United States Coast Guard, 1915", pp. 8–11 Hamlet reported aboard the newly reacquired USRC ''Thetis'' at Mare Island Navy Yard in 1899. After a refit, ''Thetis'' was assigned duty in
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to purchase reindeer for transport to Alaska.Record of Movements, p. 39 The reindeer were to be used to start herds in Alaska which were to eventually be used to supplement winter food supplies for Alaska natives. Hamlet was especially skilled at bartering with the Siberian natives and was put in charge of all negotiations for the cruise. He was later singled out by the captain of the ''Thetis'' for his skill in barter in dispatches to headquarters.Strobridge and Noble, pp. 64–66 In 1900, Hamlet became one of the first Revenue Cutter Service officers to attend the Naval War College in
Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...
. Upon completion of his studies, he returned to duty aboard the ''Bear'', serving on patrol duty with the Bering Sea Patrol. On 28 March 1905 Hamlet was promoted to
first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...
. On 19 July 1913 Hamlet was promoted to captain. On 25 November 1913 he assumed his first command as a captain as the commanding officer of USRC ''Unalga'', home-ported at
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. Hamlet was transferred to the United States Coast Guard Depot at Curtis Bay, Maryland on 15 November 1915."Register of the Officers, Vessels, and Stations of the United States Coast Guard, 1916", pp. 6–9


World War I and postwar assignments

On 18 September 1917 Hamlet was assigned to the Third Naval District at
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."Register of the Officers, Vessels, and Stations of the United States Coast Guard, 1918", pp. 6–9 He immediately assumed command of USCGC before she sailed on 20 September to join the U.S. Naval forces at
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Larzelere, p. 35Record of Movements, p. 352 Upon arrival in Europe he was assigned command of the . While in command of ''Marietta'' in the
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on 28 April 1919, Captain Hamlet rescued a crew of 47 persons from the which was sinking at sea. This rescue was made extremely difficult and hazardous owing to high seas, which threatened to send the two vessels crashing together. In effecting the rescue, Hamlet displayed admirable seamanship and on 5 January 1920 he was awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal. From 1919 to 1922, he served as the Coast Guard's Chief Personnel Officer. In May 1922 Hamlet assumed command of at
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and took her on a cruise through the Far East on the way to her new homeport of Boston, Massachusetts. From 1924 to 1928, he served as Superintendent of the Philadelphia Navy Yard. From 1928 until his appointment as commandant, he served as superintendent of the United States Coast Guard Academy at
New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...
.


Commandant

Following the death of
Frederick C. Billard Frederick Chamberlayne Billard (22 September 187317 May 1932) served as the sixth Commandant of the United States Coast Guard from 1924 until his death. Billard's military career began with his appointment to the School of Instruction of the Reve ...
, he was appointed as Commandant of the Coast Guard by President
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on 14 June 1932. As Commandant during the
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, he struggled with low budgets and limited appropriations. In response, Hamlet implemented a cost-cutting plan which called for decommissioning of vessels, closing of Coast Guard stations, manpower reductions, and a 25% reduction in expenditures. These measures led to calls to merge the Coast Guard with the
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. With the support of
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,
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William V. Pratt William Veazie Pratt (28 February 1869 – 25 November 1957) was an admiral in the United States Navy. He served as the President of the Naval War College from 1925 to 1927, and as the 5th Chief of Naval Operations from 1930 to 1933. Early l ...
, however, Hamlet succeeded in persuading President
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
and Congress from taking such action.


Later career

Upon completion of his term, he was succeeded as commandant by
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, and reverted in rank to captain on 1 January 1936. He was retained on special duty in the office of Secretary of the Treasury
Henry Morgenthau Jr. Henry Morgenthau Jr. (; May 11, 1891February 6, 1967) was the United States Secretary of the Treasury during most of the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He played a major role in designing and financing the New Deal. After 1937, while ...
He also served as Chairman of the Personnel Advisory Committee to the
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, which was responsible for studying
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issues and recommending legislation on improving the
United States Merchant Marine United States Merchant Marines are United States civilian mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of the government and private sectors, an ...
.


The Creed of the United States Coast Guardsman

The following creed was authored by Admiral Hamlet in 1938:


Retirement

Hamlet retired from the U.S. Coast Guard on 1 September 1938, just after his 64th birthday. By virtue of his service as commandant, his retired rank would have been
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 ...
; he was, however, promoted to vice admiral in recognition of his four decades of service. After his death at the age of 79, he was interred 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 ...
.Burial Detail: Hamlet, Harry G (section 4, grave 2613-A-B)
– ANC Explorer


Awards

* Gold Lifesaving Medal * World War I Victory Medal with clasp


Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations ;References cited * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamlet, Harry G. 1874 births 1954 deaths American military personnel of World War I Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Commandants of the United States Coast Guard Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Naval War College alumni People from Eastport, Maine People from Dorchester, Massachusetts Military personnel from Maine Military personnel from Massachusetts Recipients of the Gold Lifesaving Medal United States Revenue Cutter Service officers