Edward B. Barry

Edward Buttevant Barry^[a] (October 20, 1849 – November 27, 1938) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. A popular and mostly successful sailor, Barry took part in the Spanish–American and Philippine–American wars and commanded various ships, including the USS Vicksburg and USS Kentucky.

Edward Buttevant Barry
Born	(1849-10-20)October 20, 1849 New York City, U.S.
Died	November 27, 1938(1938-11-27) (aged 89) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1865–1911
Rank	Rear admiral
Commands held	United States Pacific Fleet USS Kentucky (BB-6) USS Vicksburg (PG-11)
Battles/wars	Spanish–American War Puerto Rico campaign Philippine–American War
Signature

In November 1910, Barry was appointed as Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet. He served there until January, when a scandal erupted due to his suspected homosexuality. Despite his request for an early retirement being accepted, pressure from his subordinates and President William Howard Taft led Barry to resign "for the good of the service".

Early life

 

Aged sixteen at the end of his plebe year in the United States Naval Academy

Edward B. Barry was born on October 20, 1849, as the second son in an Irish Catholic family in New York City. His father, Garrett Robert Barry, was a successful Navy purser, who served as paymaster for the New York Navy Yard (now the Brooklyn Navy Yard) during the American Civil War.^[1][2] He studied at St. Francis Xavier College in New York City before entering the United States Naval Academy on July 21, 1865, through being an officer's son.^[3][4] Barry's stay at the naval academy was mediocre, being demerited for various incidents, including "very disorderly humming" and reading a newspaper during fencing lessons.^[2] Nevertheless, following three practice cruises aboard the Macedonian and Savannah, Barry graduated on June 4, 1869, 48th in his 74-man class.^[2]

Naval career

Early career

A year following his graduation to midshipman in 1869, Barry was promoted to ensign.^[4][5] Following a special cruise aboard the Sabine, his first mission was aboard USS Worcester, delivering humanitarian supplies to France during the Franco-Prussian War.^[1][3] Despite his undistinguished performance in the naval academy, Barry proved to be a capable officer, rapidly rising through the ranks of the Navy. In 1875, Barry was selected for a position on a board reorganizing the Navy training system, a role considered impressive for a 26-year-old officer.^[2][3]

 

Barry aboard the Cincinnati in 1898

Barry was aboard the USS Alaska during the blockade of Callao, witnessing the sinking of Peruvian Navy ships Unión and Loa.^[3][5] Following various stints in the Asiatic Squadron, South Atlantic Squadron, and the Office of Naval Intelligence, war with Spain was looming.^[1] In 1897 Barry was promoted to lieutenant commander, and on August 2 of that year was transferred to the USS Cincinnati, serving as her executive officer.^[2][5] He took part in the United States' first attack of the Spanish–American War on April 27, 1898, bombarding Spanish artillery batteries at the entrance of the harbor of Matanzas.^[6][7] Barry took part in the blockades of Havana and Puerto Rico, as well as negotiating with Governor-General Manuel Macías y Casado for an armistice.^[1][8]

As commanding officer

 

Officers of the Vicksburg in 1900. Barry is seated in the middle.

Following the end of the war, Barry was assigned his first command role aboard the collier Marcellus, stationed in the New York Navy Yard. Shortly after, he was promoted to commander, and in March 1900 took command of the recently recommissioned USS Vicksburg, taking her on a short spell in the Atlantic before moving to the Asiatic station.^[5][9] On leaving the yard, the Brooklyn Eagle wrote that "with the departure for Norfolk of the battleship Kentucky to-morrow morning, one of the best liked officers who have ever did duty there will leave the Navy Yard".^[10] In the Philippine–American War, Barry's Vicksburg took part in an expedition to Palawan, led by Frederick Funston, in order to capture Filipino president Emilio Aguinaldo. The mission was a major success, with the capture being made on March 23, 1901. Five days later, the Vicksburg returned to U.S.-held Malacañang Palace with Funston and Aguinaldo on board.^[5] The accomplishment further strengthened Barry's reputation, and he was commended by General Arthur MacArthur Jr. for his conduct in the operation.^[11]

After the conclusion of the war, Vicksburg switched her focus to East Asia, moving between China, Japan, and Korea.^[9] In January 1902, while docked at Nieu-Chwang (now Yingkou), multiple fights erupted between garrisoned Russian soldiers and American sailors under the Vicksburg, leading to Russian ambassador to China Paul M. Lessar submitting a complaint to his American counterpart Edwin H. Conger. Following further investigation by Barry, he came to the conclusion the Russian garrison was at fault, and demanded reparation from Russia, with an apology being subsequently given.^[11][12][13]

On April 15, 1903, Barry returned to the New York Navy Yard as aide to commandant Frederick Rodgers.^[1][14] With Rodgers's retirement in October 1904, Barry departed his role too, being replaced by Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Tappan.^[15] He then served as a member of the Board of Inspection and Survey.^[1] Following the retirement of Rear Admiral A.S. Barker, Barry was promoted to captain on March 31, 1905.^[16][17] Shortly thereafter Barry returned to command, succeeding Captain William J. Barnette as commander of the battleship USS Kentucky.^[18]

Unlike on Vicksburg, Barry's performance on the Kentucky was uninspiring.^[2] Only a week after taking command of the ship, on January 7, the Kentucky was exiting Tompkinsville in a fleet with four other ships when she ran aground. The blunder created a chain reaction effect, with the following USS Kearsarge intentionally grounding herself, before the ensuing Alabama delivered a glancing blow to Kentucky. There was initial belief Barry would be completely absolved from blame due to his reputation as an excellent navigator.^[19][20] Nonetheless, Barry was blamed for a "slight mistake" during Kentucky's grounding, with the majority of the fault going to an "incompetent helmsman".^[21] Following a lackluster stint at the helm, Barry was eventually ordered to relinquish command of the ship to then-Captain Walter C. Cowles.^[22] Shortly before the passing of the torch, Barry's Kentucky again ran aground, this time near Lambert's Point.^[23] On November 1, 1907, Barry left the Kentucky to manage the largest Naval Recruiting Station, headquartered in New York City.^[2][24] The Kentucky, under the command of Cowles, would go on to be part of the notable Great White Fleet just a month after Barry's detachment.^[25]

In December, Barry departed the recruiting station and became the supervisor of the naval auxiliaries of the Atlantic coast.^[26][27] There he participated in multiple inquiries, including the court-martial of Commander Charles C. Marsh, who accidentally led to the sinking of USS Yankee.^[28][29] Following the retirement of Rear Admiral William J. Barnette, Barry was promoted to rear admiral on February 1, 1909.^[30][31] A few months later, despite initially being promised command of the fourth division of the United States Atlantic Fleet, Barry was reassigned to command the second division of the United States Pacific Fleet after the division's predecessor, Uriel Sebree, became Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet.^[32][33]

Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Barry was promoted to Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT) on November 1, 1910, with the West Virginia serving as his flagship. He succeeded the retiring Giles B. Harber and immediately left for battle practice.^[34][35] Barry's time as commander-in-chief of the fleet was short-lived. His notable actions included being bitten by an English Bull Terrier who served as mascot of the USS Colorado named "Bunk" and communicating with Glenn Curtiss regarding a possible naval aviation experiment.^[36] (Bunk apologized with a lick and was subsequently let off without reprimand).^[37]

On January 14, 1911, Barry made an unexpected request for retirement nine months before he was set to pass the mandatory retirement age.^[38] Initial speculation for the early timing was due to ill-health, but this was quickly dissipated the following day when the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Barry's officers discovering him a week before in a situation "of such a nature as to forbid explicit statement in print".^[39] Barry's suspected homosexuality was not explicitly reported in the newspapers, which instead referred to the matter as "concerning his moral character" and "the same vice which caused the downfall of Oscar Wilde".^[7][38][40] His sexual orientation was already suspected for months and he was shunned by his officers during his time on the West Virginia.^[3] The officers considered sending a loaded revolver to Barry's room with a suggestion to use it before settling on allowing him the opportunity to resign.^[41][42] Barry's move to instead retire was considered unacceptable by the officers, and after increasing pressure and a request from President William Howard Taft, on January 28 Barry resigned from the navy "for the good of the service".^[7][43]

Poet T. S. Eliot referred to Barry in a letter to Ezra Pound on August 30, 1922:

For below a voice did answer, sweet in its youthful tone,
The sea-dog with difficulty descended, for he had a manly bone.

— T. S. Eliot^[44]

Personal life

Edward B. Barry married Mary J. Clitz, daughter of Navy officer John M.B. Clitz, on April 7, 1875.^[1][2][45] The couple had a son, born in 1876, and a daughter in 1877.^[2] Mary would die in Washington D.C. on June 25, 1906.^[46] Barry died aged 89 in Baltimore on November 27, 1938, after returning to his room following church service.^[47] Following a service in St. Ignatius Church, Barry was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on November 29.^[48] He was a member of the University Club of New York and Army and Navy Club.^[42]

 

Barry's signature

Barry's signature and penmanship were frequent targets of teasing during his time in the navy yard. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle wrote a piece titled "Naval Academy Enrolls [Barry] as the Only Student Who Couldn't Read His Own Writing", and labelled his signature as the "weirdest in the Navy".^[49]

Dates of rank

  United States Naval Academy Midshipman – June 4, 1869^[2]

Ensign	Master	Lieutenant	Lieutenant commander
O-1	O-2	O-3	O-4
July 12, 1870^[31]	January 29, 1872^[31]	April 6, 1875^[50]	March 21, 1897^[51]

Commander	Captain	Commodore	Rear admiral
O-5	O-6	O-7	O-8
March 9, 1900^[52]	March 31, 1905^[53]	Never held^[b]	February 1, 1909^[38]^[c]

Notes

1. Barry's middle name is occasionally given as Buttervant.
2. The rank of Commodore did not exist from 1899–1943
3. The modern rear admiral (lower half) rank did not exist during Barry's lifetime

References

1. Men and women of America; a biographical dictionary of contemporaries. Contributed to by University of California Libraries. L.R. Hamersly & Company. 1910. p. 103. LCCN 09030047. OCLC 1048810339.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
2. Sullivan, Dwight (January 11, 2022). Capturing Aguinaldo: The Daring Raid to Seize the Philippine President at the Dawn of the American Century. Stackpole Books. pp. 84–88, 205–208. ISBN 978-0-8117-7153-5. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
3. "Say Barry Had To Go". The Washington Post. New York City (published January 16, 1911). January 15, 1911. p. 3. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Register of the commission and warrant officers of the Navy of the United States, including officers of the Marine Corps. Vol. 1869–1871. Digitized by Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. Washington D.C.: United States Government Publishing Office.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
5. "Aguinaldo in Jail". The Boston Globe. March 28, 1901. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Bennett, James Gordon (April 28, 1898). "First Battle of the War". The Baltimore Sun. p. 1. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Barry Quits the Navy". The Washington Post. January 28, 1911. p. 14. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Barry out of Navy". The Washington Star. January 27, 1911. p. 2. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Vol. 7. Washington D.C.: United States Naval History Division. 1981. p. 504.
10. "Navy Yard Loses a Widely Liked Officer in the Departure of Captain E.B. Barry". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 6, 1906. p. 8. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Americans Fight Russians". New-York Tribune. Washington D.C. (published January 8, 1902). January 7, 1902. p. 3. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Russian Apology; End of Incident". St. Joseph Gazette. Washington D.C. (published March 16, 1902). March 15, 1902. p. 6. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Russians To Blame". The Indianapolis Journal (published January 9, 1902). January 8, 1902. p. 6. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Naval Orders". The Virginian-Pilot. March 27, 1903. p. 5. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "As the Yard Commandant, Coghlan's Flag is Up". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 3, 1904. p. 22. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
16. Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America (Report). Vol. 36. United States Government Printing Office. 1931. p. 33.
17. "Retirement of Rear Admiral Barker Causes Many Advancements". The Brooklyn Citizen. Washington D.C. (published April 2, 1905). April 1, 1905. p. 8. Retrieved January 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
18. "Assigned to Navy General Board". The Boston Globe. December 16, 1905. p. 11. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "Two Battleships Grounded". The Evening Star. January 8, 1906. p. 13. Retrieved January 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
20. "Court will place blame for collision". Daily Press. January 10, 1906. p. 1. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
21. "Rebuke for Evans". The Akron Beacon Journal. Washington D.C. June 28, 1906. p. 1. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
22. "Naval Orders". The Baltimore Sun. Washington D.C. (published October 29, 1907). October 28, 1907. p. 2. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
23. "Battleship is aground". The Boston Globe. Norfolk, Virginia. October 8, 1907. p. 5. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspaper.com.
24. "Capt. E. B. Barry". The Buffalo News. March 29, 1908. p. 16. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
25. Crawford, Michael J., ed. (2008). The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet: Honoring 100 Years of Global Partnerships and Security (PDF). Washington D.C.: Naval History and Heritage Command. ISBN 978-0-945274-59-9. LCCN 2008006229.
26. "General Service Orders—The Navy". St. Louis Globe-Democrat (published December 12, 1907). December 11, 1907. p. 3. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
27. "Sparks From Maine Wires". Kennebec Journal. December 13, 1907. p. 8. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
28. "Court-Martial for Capt. Marsh Because of Cruiser's Grounding". The New York Times. January 3, 1909. p. 18. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
29. "To Investigate Tacoma Accident". Evening Star. April 24, 1908. p. 3. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
30. "Retirement of Admiral Barnette". Evening Star. February 2, 1902. p. 3. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
31. Barry, Michael Henry (1930). History of the Barrys. p. 77.
32. "Sebree to command Pacific". The Baltimore Sun. Washington D.C. (published April 16, 1909). April 15, 1909. p. 2. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
33. "Army and Navy Gossip—United States Navy". The Washington Post. Washington D.C. March 7, 1909. p. 2. Retrieved January 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
34. "Rear Admiral Barry Takes Command Of Pacific Fleet on West Virginia". The San Francisco Call. November 2, 1910. p. 16. Retrieved January 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
35. "Of the Federal Pacific Fleet is Rear Admiral Edward B. Barry". The Daily Telegram. Washington D.C. November 1, 1910. p. 7. Retrieved January 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
36. "Rear Admiral Barry Will Watch Aviators at San Francisco". The Times Leader. Washington D.C. (published December 22, 1910). December 21, 1910. p. 4. Retrieved January 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
37. Francisco, Cholly (January 12, 1911). "Among the Swells and Belles". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 9. Retrieved January 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
38. "Makes a request for retirement". The Hawaiian Star. Washington D.C. January 14, 1911. p. 9. Retrieved January 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
39. "Rear-Admiral Barry Is Accused of Vice That Shocks the Navy". San Francisco Chronicle. January 15, 1911. p. 27. Retrieved January 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
40. Demers, Daniel J. (2012). "The Sinking of Admiral Barry". The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide. 19 (2): 28–29. ISSN 1532-1118. Retrieved January 26, 2023 – via EBSCOHOST.
41. "Barry's Leave Odoriferous". The Los Angeles Times. San Francisco (published January 16, 1911). Associated Press. January 15, 1911. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved December 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
42. "Scandal in Navy; Admiral Involved". Intelligencer Journal. Washington D.C. January 16, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
43. "Retires in Disgrace". The Oregon Daily Journal. January 27, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved January 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
44. Eliot, Valerie; Haughton, Hugh, eds. (2011). The Letters of T. S. Eliot. Vol. 1, 1898–1922. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 9780571265275.
45. "Society—Personal". The San Francisco Examiner. June 3, 1883. p. 3. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. As Lieutenant Barry is a son-in-law of the Admiral, the meeting will be a peculiarly pleasant one.
46. "Death Record". The Washington Times. June 27, 1906. p. 2. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
47. "Death comes to Edward B. Barry". Arizona Daily Star. Baltimore (published November 28, 1938). November 27, 1938. p. 3. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
48. "Funeral Rites Held for Admiral Barry". The Charlotte Observer. Washington D.C. Associated Press. November 29, 1938. p. 9. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
49. "Captain Barry Joked About His Handwriting". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 29, 1905. p. 24. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
50. Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America (Report). Vol. 20. United States Government Printing Office. 1901. p. 86.
51. Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America (Report). Vol. 31. United States Government Printing Office. 1909. p. 54.
52. "Navy Nominations". The Honolulu Advertiser (published April 28, 1900). March 26, 1900. p. 10. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
53. "Fighting Bob Evans' Trouble". The Whittier News. January 13, 1906. p. 2. Retrieved January 7, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

•   Media related to Edward B. Barry at Wikimedia Commons

Military offices
Preceded by Giles B. Harber	Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet November 10, 1910 – January 15, 1911	Succeeded by Chauncey Thomas Jr.