Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright (naval officer) explained

Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright II
Birth Date:	27 July 1821
Birth Place:	New York City
Death Place:	Near Galveston, Texas
Allegiance:	United States
Branch:	United States Navy
Serviceyears:	1837–1863
Rank:	Lieutenant
Battles:	American Civil War
Children:	2

Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright II (July 27, 1821 – January 1, 1863) was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War, who was killed in action during the Battle of Galveston.^[1]

Early life

Wainwright was born on July 27, 1821, in New York City to Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright I (1792–1854)^[2] and Amelia Maria Phelps.^[3] His father, an Episcopal bishop, served as the fifth Bishop of New York, from 1852 to 1854,^[4] and was instrumental in the founding of New York University.^[5]

His paternal grandparents were Peter Wainwright and Elizabeth Mayhew. He was a cousin of naval officer Richard Wainwright.^[6]

Career

He entered the United States Navy on June 30, 1837, at age 16, as a midshipman. He attended the Philadelphia Naval Asylum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1842 to 1843, and became a passed midshipman on June 29, 1843.^[3]

He was appointed acting-master, November 10, 1849, and commissioned lieutenant, September 17, 1850. He was on special duty in Washington, DC in 1861.^[3]

He commanded the, Admiral David Dixon Porter's flagship in Farragut's fleet, in the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, and took part in operations below Vicksburg.

He was killed in action when his ship was attacked and captured by Confederate forces under the command of General John Bankhead Magruder during the Battle of Galveston on January 1, 1863.^{[3] [7]} He was reportedly personally killed by Confederate naval commander Leon Smith, and a valuable signal book was taken from his corpse.^{[8] [9] [10]}

Personal life

On February 8, 1844, he married Maria Byrd Page in Virginia.^[11] She was the daughter of Robert Powell Page (1794–1849), himself a grandson of the Governor of Virginia John Page, and Mary Francis, the daughter of Thomas Willing Francis of Philadelphia. After her mother's death, her father remarried to Susan Grymes, daughter of Archie Randolph. Together, they had four children:^{[12] [13]}

• Elizabeth "Lizzie" Wainwright (died 1883), who married John Page Burwell in 1875.^[12]
• Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright III (died 1870),^[13] a Lt. in the U.S. Navy who was killed by pirates on the Pacific coast.^[12]
• Robert Powell Page Wainwright, a Lt. of Cavalry^[14] who married Josepha Sewell.^[13]
• Maria Wainwright (born 1855), who married Henry Slaughter in 1873. She later married Louis James and attained some reputation as an actress going by the name "Fannie Louise Buckingham."^[12]

Legacy

His grandson, Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV (1883–1953), was a general during World War II.

Honors

Three ships have been named for Jonathan and some of his relatives.^{[15] [16] [17]}

References

Notes

Sources

• • Wainwright, Jonathan Mayhew. 1889.

Notes and References

1. Encyclopedia: Rossiter Johnson. John Howard Brown. The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright. 1904. Biographical Society. 301.
2. News: Death of Bishop Wainwright.. 25 October 2017. The New York Times. 22 September 1854.
3. Encyclopedia: Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright . Officers of the Army and the Navy (regular) who Served in the Civil War . 1892 .
4. Web site: Diocese of New York list of bishops . 2017-10-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071215165535/http://www.dioceseny.org/index.cfm?Action=Knowledgebase.ViewQuestionDetails&QuestionID=F9D30855AC2FD1A5D0390226A43A14D1&CategoryID=000DD607D87B1E3A8440C9C10A01106C&ReturnURL=index%2Ecfm%3FAction%3DKnowledgebase%2EViewQuestions%26CategoryID%3D000DD607D87B1E3A8440C9C10A01106C%26returnURL%3Dindex%252Ecfm%253FAction%253DKnowledgebase%252EViewQuestions%26StartRow%3D21 . 2007-12-15 . dead .
5. Book: Norton. John Nicholas. Life of Bishop Wainwright. 1858. New York : General Protestant Episcopal Sunday school union and church book society.
6. Web site: Wainwright family papers. archives.nypl.org. The New York Public Library. 25 October 2017. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20171026002133/http://archives.nypl.org/mss/3196. 26 October 2017. dead.
7. Encyclopedia: Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright . The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography . 1893 . 359 .
8. http://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1063&context=ethj Day, James M. (1965) "Leon Smith: Confederate Mariner," East Texas Historical Journal: Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 7.
9. Book: Cotham. Edward Terrel. . 1998. University of Texas Press. 9780292712058. 48. en. - Registration required, accessed on 25 October 2017
10. News: GOSSIP FROM RICHMOND.. 25 October 2017. The New York Times. 23 February 1863.
11. Book: Keith. Charles Penrose. The Provincial Councillors of Pennsylvania: Who Held Office Between 1733–1776 and Those Earlier Councillors who Were Some Time Chief Magistrates of the Province, and Their Descendants. 1883. Genealogical Publishing Com. 9780806315294. 123. 25 October 2017. en.
12. Book: Page. Richard Channing Moore. Genealogy of the Page Family in Virginia: Also, a Condensed Account of the Nelson, Walker, Pendleton, and Randolph Families, with References to the Bland, Burwell, Byrd, Carter, Cary, Duke, Gilmer, Harrison, Rives, Thornton, Welford, Washington, and Other Distinguished Families in Virginia. 1893. Publishers' Print. Company. 147. 25 October 2017. en.
13. Book: Browning. Charles Henry. Americans of Royal Descent: A Collection of Genealogies of American Families Whose Lineage is Traced to the Legitimate Issue of Kings. 1891. Porter & Costes. 185. 25 October 2017. en.
14. News: Appointments by the President . . June 21, 1863 .
15. Wainwright I .
16. Wainwright II .
17. Wainwright III .