Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright II (27 July 1821 – 1 January 1863) was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was killed in action.
Biography[]
Wainwright was born in New York City to Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright I and Maria Page.
He entered the United States Navy on June 30, 1837, as a midshipman. He attended the naval school at Philadelphia in 1842-43, and became a passed midshipman, 29 June 1843. He was appointed acting master, 10 November 1849, and commissioned lieutenant, 17 September 1850. He was on special duty at Washington in 1861.
He commanded the Harriet Lane, Admiral David Dixon Porter's flagship in Farragut's fleet, in an engagement with Forts Jackson and St. Philip and took part in operations below Vicksburg. He was killed in an attack upon Confederate forts in Galveston, Texas on January 1, 1863.
Family[]
Wainwright married and had four children including Jonathan Wainwright, Jr. and Robert Powell Page Wainwright. His daughter Marie, later Mrs. Louis James, attained some reputation as an actress. His great grandson, Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV, was a prominent general during World War II.
Honors[]
Three ships have been named USS Wainwright for Jonathan and some of his relatives.
References[]
- This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
"Wainwright, Jonathan Mayhew". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1889.
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