Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Bremer, James John Gordon
BREMER, Sir JAMES JOHN GORDON (1786–1860), rear-admiral, the son and grandson of naval officers, was entered as a first-class volunteer on board the Sandwich guardship at the Nore in 1794. This was only for a few months; in October 1797 he was appointed to the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth, and was not again embarked till 1802, when he was appointed to the Endymion as a midshipman under Captain Philip Durham. For the next fourteen years he was actively and continuously serving in different parts of the world. He was made lieutenant on 3 Aug. 1805, commander on 13 Oct. 1807, and captain on 7 June 1814, but had no opportunities of achieving any special distinction. On 4 June 1815 he was nominated a C.B.; and on 24 Oct. 1816, whilst in command of the Comus frigate, he was wrecked on the coast of Newfoundland. In February 1824 he was sent, in command of the Tamar, to establish a colony on Melville Island, Australia; after which he went to India and took part in the first Burmese war. On 25 Jan. 1836 he was made a K.C.H., and in the following year was appointed to the Alligator, and again went out to Australia, where, the colonising of Melville Island having failed, he formed a settlement at Port Essington. Thence he again went to India, where, by the death of Sir Frederick Maitland, in December 1839, he was left senior officer for a few months, till superseded by Rear-admiral Elliot in July; and again in the following November, when Admiral Elliot invalided, till the arrival of Sir William Parker in August 1841. Sir Gordon Bremer had thus the naval command of the expedition to China during a great part of the years 1840-1, for which services he received the thanks of parliament, and was made K.C.B. on 29 July 1841. In April 1846 he was appointed second in command of the Channel squadron, with his broad pennant in the Queen; and in the following November to be commodore-superintendent of Woolwich dockyard, which post he held for the next two years. He attained his flag on 15 Sept. 1849, but died a few months later, on 14 Feb. 1850.
He married, in 1811, Harriet, daughter of Thomas Wheeler, and widow of the Rev. George Henry Glasse, and left a family of two sons and four daughters, the eldest of whom married Captain (afterwards Admiral) Sir Leopold Kuper.
[O'Byrne's Nav. Biog. Dict.;Gent. Mag. (1850), N.S. xxxiii. 534.]