Samuel Rhoads Franklin
Samuel Rhoads Franklin (August 24, 1825 – February 24, 1909) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. He fought in the Civil War, including the famous Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862, and later helped lead the Gulf blockade and other naval efforts. He also served as superintendent of the U.S. Naval Observatory (1884–1885) and was president of the International Marine Conference in 1889.
Franklin was born in York, Pennsylvania, into a prominent Quaker family. His father worked as Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. He joined the Navy as a midshipman in 1841, before the Naval Academy existed, and sailed on various ships during the early years of his career. He helped seize Monterey during the Mexican–American War in 1842 and later served in the Pacific and the Atlantic on several ships and survey missions.
He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1847 and graduated as a midshipman. He worked with the U.S. Coast Survey in 1848 and later served on ships such as the Independence and the Dolphin, participating in surveying work along the U.S. East Coast and in the Mediterranean. In 1855 he was promoted to lieutenant, and he served on several ships in the Brazil Squadron and elsewhere, including duties at the Navy Yard and the Naval Observatory.
When the Civil War began, Franklin served aboard ships in the Gulf and on the James River. He took part in the Battle of Hampton Roads, where ironclads fought near Virginia. He then commanded the gunboat Aroostook, and later joined the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, helping to patrol Mobile Bay and other Gulf areas and to capture blockade runners. He was involved in the surrender of Mobile at the end of the war and held various staff positions as a senior officer.
After the war, Franklin continued to rise through the ranks. He was promoted to commander in 1866 and to captain in 1872. He served in roles such as hydrographer, on boards for the U.S. Military Academy and the Naval Academy, and as chief of staff to senior officers. In 1884 he became superintendent of the Naval Observatory, and in 1885 he was promoted to rear admiral and commanded the Training Squadron and later the European Squadron before retiring in 1887.
Franklin was married three times. His first wife, Mathilde Atocha, died in 1868 after their son Walter died the previous year. He then married Caroline Maria Keyes, who died in 1881, and later married Marion Sands. He became a Roman Catholic in 1880. In retirement he lived in Washington, D.C., and was active in several clubs and professional societies. In 1889 he served as president of the International Marine Conference in Washington, though he later disputed his remuneration for the role.
He published Memories of a Rear-Admiral Who Has Served for More Than Half a Century in the Navy of the United States in 1898. Franklin died in Washington, D.C., in 1909 from chronic kidney failure. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:15 (CET).