View source for Edmund Orville Matthews

{{RearUS}} '''Edmund Orville Matthews''' (2 October, 1836 &ndash; 29 January, 1911) served in the [[United States Navy]].

==Life & Career==
Matthews was born in Maryland but was appointed to the Naval Academy from Missouri, graduating with the Class of 1855. He was promoted to the rank of {{LieutUS}} on 27 June, 1860 and to the rank of {{LCommUS}} on 16 July, 1862.{{USOfficerReg1899|pp. 70-71}}{{LivingOfficers1898|p. 3}} During the Civil War he served at the Naval Academy and later commanded side-wheel gunboat [[U.S.S. Sonoma (1862)|''Sonoma'']], before being appointed Flag Lieutenant to the Commander of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.{{USOfficerReg1864|p. 109}}{{USOfficerReg1865|p. 249}}{{LivingOfficers1898|p. 3}}

Following the war, Matthews returned to the Naval Academy, including service as head of the Department of Gunnery from 1867 to 1869.{{USOfficerReg1869|p. 78}} He then served as Head of the Torpedo Corps from 1869 to 1873. During this time, Matthews was promoted to the rank of {{CommUS}} on 22 April, 1870 and helped build and test the Navy's first [[torpedo]].{{USOfficerReg1869-2|p. 12}}{{USOfficerReg1873|p. 94}}<ref>[https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/crew/edmund-matthews/ USS Constitution Website]</ref> He then commanded the {{US-Ashuelot|f=t}} in Asiatic waters from 1874 to 1877.{{USOfficerReg1878|pp. 14-15}}

Matthews was promoted to the rank of {{CaptUS}} on 14 September, 1881, shortly after being appointed to command the {{US-Powhatan|f=t}}. In April, 1883 he moved on to command the {{US-1NewHampshire|f=t}} for just over a year.{{USOfficerReg1882|pp. 14-15}}{{LivingOfficers1898|p. 4}} In late 1885 he assumed command of the {{US-1Brooklyn|f=t}} for two years. Matthews returned to shore duty in December 1887 when he became Captain of the Yard at the [[Boston Navy Yard]]. This was followed by his last ship command, the {{US-Wabash|f=t}}, from May 1890 to July 1891.

In March, 1894, Matthews was appointed Chief of the [[Bureau of Yards and Docks]], being promoted to the rank of {{CdreUS}} on 21 July, 1894.  His final promotion, to the rank of {{RearUS}}, came on 19 June, 1897.  Relieved of as Bureau Chief in March, 1898, Matthews was placed on the Retired List due to age on 24 October, 1898.  In retirement, he resided in Massachusetts, where he died in early 1911.{{USOfficerReg1895|pp. 4-5}}{{USList&Station1897|p. 4}}{{USList&Station1898|p. 4}}{{USOfficerReg1899|pp. 70-71, 112}}{{USOfficerReg1912|p. 213}}

==See Also==
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{{WP|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Orville_Matthews}}
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==Bibliography==
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==Service Records==
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<div name=fredbot:appts>{{TabApptsBegin}}
{{TabNaval}}
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Robert Forbes Bradford|Robert F. Bradford]]'''|'''[[U.S.S. Ashuelot (1865)|Captain of U.S.S. ''Ashuelot'']]'''<br>16 Jan, 1874 &ndash; Apr, 1877{{USOfficerReg1878|pp. 14-15}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Horace Edward Mullan|Horace E. Mullan]]'''}}
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''?'''|'''[[U.S.S. Powhatan (1850)|Captain of U.S.S. ''Powhatan'']]'''<br>Aug, 1881{{HamerslyRecords6|p. 4}} &ndash; Feb, 1883{{HamerslyRecords6|p. 4}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Lester Anthony Beardslee|Lester A. Beardslee]]'''}}
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''?'''|'''[[U.S.S. New Hampshire (1864)|Captain of U.S.S. ''New Hampshire'']]'''<br>Apr, 1883 &ndash; Jul, 1884{{LivingOfficers1898|p. 4}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Arthur Reid Yates|Arthur R. Yates]]'''}}
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Aaron Ward Weaver|Aaron W. Weaver]]'''|'''[[U.S.S. Brooklyn (1858)|Captain of U.S.S. ''Brooklyn'']]'''<br>19 Oct, 1885{{USOfficerReg1887|p. 6}} &ndash; Sep, 1887{{LivingOfficers1898|p. 4}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Byron Wilson|Byron Wilson]]'''}}
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''?'''|'''[[Boston Navy Yard|Captain, Navy Yard, Boston]]'''<br>1 Dec, 1887 &ndash; May, 1890{{LivingOfficers1898|p. 4}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[William Whitehead|William Whitehead]]'''}}
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Charles Carroll Carpenter|Charles C. Carpenter]]'''|'''[[U.S.S. Wabash (1855)|Captain of U.S.S. ''Wabash'']]'''<br>31 May, 1890{{USOfficerReg1891|p. 6}} &ndash; Jul, 1891|Succeeded by<br>'''[[James O'Kane|James O'Kane]]'''}}
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Christopher Raymond Perry Rodgers|Christopher R. P. Rodgers]]'''|'''[[Bureau of Yards and Docks|Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks]]'''<br>16 Mar, 1894{{USOfficerReg1895|pp. 3-4}} &ndash; Mar, 1898{{USList&Station1898|p. 4}}|Succeeded by<br>'''?'''}}
{{TabEnd}}
</div name=fredbot:appts>

==Footnotes==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Edmund Orville}}

{{CatPerson|US|1836|1911}}
{{CatUSNA|1855}}