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Wells, Gideon, 1802-1878

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Dates

Biography

Gideon Welles (July 1, 1802 – February 11, 1878), nicknamed "Father Neptune", was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869, a cabinet post he was awarded after supporting Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election. Although opposed to the Union blockade of Southern ports, he duly carried out his part of the Anaconda Plan, largely sealing off the Confederate coastline and preventing the exchange of cotton for war supplies. This is viewed as a major cause of Union victory in the Civil War, and his achievement in expanding the Navy almost tenfold was widely praised. Welles was also instrumental in the Navy's creation of the Medal of Honor.

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:

James Willis Patterson letter

Item 1

Identifier: Mss 865178

Mss 865178

Date(s): 1865-02-28

Scope and Contents

Three-page letter from James Willis Patterson in Washington, DC to Gideon Welles,recommending John R. Eastman as a professor in the Navy to serve

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Gideon Welles

Gideon Welles was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut. He earned his degree from Norwich University and became a lawyer by “reading the law.” In 1826, he founded the Hartford Times, serving as its editor.

Early Political Career

Welles started his political career in 1827 as a Democrat, serving in the Connecticut State Legislature. He held office until 1835, when he was appointed Comptroller of Public Accounts. Between 1836 and 1841, he was Postmaster of Hartford. He was elected Comptroller (now an elected office) in 1842. In 1846, President James K. Polk appointed him Chief of the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing for the Navy. He served until 1849.

Republican Party

In 1854, Welles joined the newly established Republican Party. He founded the Hartford Evening Post in 1856 to advocate for party views. An active member on both the state and federal level, Welles was opposed to the extension of slavery into new territories. He was chairman of the Connecticut delegation to the convention at Chicago which nominated Abraham Lincoln president.

Secreta

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Spartacus Educational

Primary Sources

(1) Gideon Welles went to Abraham Lincoln's bedside when he heard he had been shot. He later recorded his thoughts in his diary (15th April, 1865)

The night was dark, cloudy, and damp, and about six it began to rain. I remained in the room until then without sitting or leaving it, when, there being a vacant chair which someone left at the foot of the bed, I occupied it for nearly two hours, listening to the heavy groans and witnessing the wasting life of the good and great man who was expiring before me.
About 6 a.m. I experienced a feeling of faintness and, for the first time after entering the room, a little past eleven, I left it and the house, and took a short walk in the open air. It was a dark and gloomy morning, and rain set in before I returned to the house, some fifteen minutes later. Large groups of people were gathered every few yards, all anxious and solicitous. Some one or more from each group stepped forward as I passed to inquire into the condition of the President and to ask if there was no hope. Intense grief was on e