James Hamilton Sears
Commodore (retired) James Hamilton Sears, (6 January, 1855 – 8 December, 1915) served in the United States Navy.
Life & Career
Sears was born in New York and was appointed to the Naval Academy from the same state, graduating with the Class of 1876 after having been turned back for a year. He was commissioned Ensign on 11 December, 1877.[1]
He enjoyed the normal rotation of sea and shore duty early in his career and received the usual promotions, being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant (Junior Grade) on 2 December, 1884[2] and to the rank of Lieutenant on 20 September, 1890.[3]
His first command was the Coast Survey steamer McArthur on the Pacific Coast from 1894 to 1897.[4][5]
During the Spanish-American War, Sears served as Flag Lieutenant to Commodore Winfield Scott Schley and was present for the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.[6] He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander on 29 March, 1899, and in November 1899 again became Flag Lieutenant to Schley, this time on the South Atlantic Station.[7][8]
In 1904 Sears briefly commanded gunboat Alliance and armed yacht Vixen, bringing the first ship to Culebra, Puerto Rico, and the second to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.[9]
Sears was promoted to the rank of Commander on 12 January, 1905.[10] He next went to sea as commanding officer of gunboat Concord from 1907 to late 1908. During this time, he was further promoted to the rank of Captain on 3 September, 1908.[11][12]
In early 1909, Sears was appointed Naval Attache to Tokyo and Peking. He served in this position until he was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 30 June, 1910. Under the provisions of the Act of March 3, 1899 he was promoted to the rank of Commodore on the Retired List as of this same date.[13][14][15]
Living abroad in retirement, Sears died in Rome, Italy in December, 1915.[16][17]
See Also
Bibliography
| Naval Appointments | ||
| Preceded by Francis H. Delano |
Captain of U.S.S. Alliance Jun, 1904[18] – Jul, 1904 |
Succeeded by George R. Salisbury |
| Preceded by Clifford J. Boush |
Captain of U.S.S. Concord 25 Jul, 1907[19] – Dec, 1908[20] |
Succeeded by Frank H. Schofield |
Footnotes
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1880. pp. 40-41.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1889. pp. 24-25.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1891. pp. 22-23.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1895. pp. 20-21.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1897. p. 20.
- ↑ List and Station, July 1898. p. 10.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1900. p. 153.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1901. pp. 20, 151.
- ↑ List and Station, July 1904. p. 12.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1906. pp. 14-15.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1908. p. 12.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1909. pp. 10-11.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1909. pp. 10, 237.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1911. p. 203.
- ↑ New York Tribune 2 July, 1910, p. 8.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1916. p. 241.
- ↑ Boston Evening Trancript 10 December, 1915 p. 5.
- ↑ List and Station, July 1904. p. 12.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1908. p. 12.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1909. p. 10.
