The New Student's Reference Work/Wainwright, Richard

Wain'wright, Richard, American naval officer, was born at Washington, D. C., Dec. 17, 1849 (the son of Commander R. Wainwright, who died near New Orleans while commanding Farragut's flagship Hartford, Oct. 10, 1862). Young Wainwright entered the Naval Academy and graduated in 1868, when he was attached for a time to the brig Jamestown on the Pacific station. Later on he served on the Asiatic station, and after gaining a lieutenancy he did duty on the coast-survey vessel Arago. In September, 1894, he reached the rank of lieutenant-commander, and was executive officer on the battleship Maine when she was destroyed in Havana harbor (Feb. 15, 1898). After this he did good service at the battle of Santiago de Cuba as commander of the gunboat Gloucester, when Cervera's squadron was destroyed. He has since been in command of the ships of the United States navy at the Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.

(Image: WILHELM RICHARD WAGNER)