Richardson Clover
Encyclopedia
Rear Admiral Richardson Clover (July 11, 1846 – October 14, 1919) was an officer of the United States Navy
. An 1867 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he was a noted hydrographer, served as Director of Naval Intelligence
, and commanded the gunboat
during the Spanish-American War
. He was socially prominent in Washington, D.C.
and served as US Naval Attaché to Great Britain. He commanded the on the Asiatic Station and served as President of the Board of Inspection and Survey
. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1907 and retired in 1908.
, son of Lewis Peter Clover and Sarah Ann Ackerman Clover. His father was an artist who later became an Episcopal minister, serving congregations in Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois, and New York. Richardson Clover was appointed to the United States Naval Academy
from Missouri in July 1863 and graduated in 1867. His first posting was to the frigate Susquehanna.
Clover had a varied career in the service including several hydrographic assignments. He served on the Coast Survey steamer on the Pacific coast 1874-77, and had a brief assignment to the Naval Hydrographic Office
. He was again assigned to the Coast Survey in 1881, first in the Washington office and then commanding the schooner Palinurus surveying Long Island Sound
. He supervised construction of the steamer and became her first commander. Under Clover, the Patterson sailed to California by way of the Straits of Magellan and subsequently made surveys in southeastern Alaska
in 1885, covering the north shore of Dixon Entrance
(except for Cordova Bay
), and Clarence Strait
as far north as Union Bay. He remained in charge of the Patterson and the Southeast Alaska survey until he was relieved by A.S Snow in March 1886.
Following a year's leave accompanying his marriage, Clover was posted to the torpedo station at Newport and then attended the Naval War College
from September 1887 until January 1888. Subsequently he was posted as Navigator on the , then as Executive officer on the from December 1888 to December 1889. During this period Dolphin completed her round-the-world cruise.
He returned to the Naval Hydrographic Office in 1889. He became Acting Hydrographer in September 1890 and was formally appointed Hydrographer (i.e. head of the office) in May 1891, accompanying his appointment as Lieutenant Commander. He was appointed one of the initial members, and secretary, of the Board on Geographic Names
in 1890. He continued as Hydrographer until 1893.
Clover served on the Phythian Board on the reorganization of the Navy. Subsequently he was posted to the cruiser , serving as Executive Officer under Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan
, author of The Influence of Sea Power upon History
. In December 1895, he was appointed to the Board revising Naval Regulations. Subsequently he commanded the in 1896-7.
Clover was appointed Chief Intelligence Officer of the Office of Naval Intelligence
from November 1897 to May 1898 and then again from October 1898 to February 1900. While on his first term as Chief Intelligence Officer, then-Cmdr. Clover was also member of the War and Strategy Board established by the Secretary of the Navy John D. Long to provide him with operational and strategic advice. Also on that board was Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Theodore Roosevelt
. In the period leading up to the Spanish–American War, Clover organized intelligence-gathering efforts to establish the location, condition, and order of battle of the Spanish naval forces. These efforts included espionage as well as the more usual compilation of information from open and diplomatic channels. However, when the war started, Clover left his position to take an active combat position as commanding officer of the gunboat
from May to September 1898.
After his stint on the Bancroft Clover resumed his duties as Chief Intelligence Officer until February 1900, then was reassigned as the Naval Attaché
at the U.S. Embassy in London from April 1900 to June 1903 He was promoted to captain on April 11, 1902. After a short hiatus at home he became the commanding officer of the battleship from January 1904 to December 1905, while for most of this time also serving as Chief-of-Staff of the Asiatic Fleet
. Then after a one-year hiatus he became a member, then the president of the Board of Inspection and Survey
from February 1907 to July 1908, during which he was promoted to rear admiral
. He retired on July 11, 1908.
Clover died on October 14, 1919, in Wyoming
while on route from San Francisco, California to Washington, D.C. He is buried with his wife in Arlington National Cemetery
.
from California
, the wealthy former head of the Alaska Commercial Company
. Clover named Dora Bay, Miller Lake, and Mt. Eudora in Alaska, presumably for her, in 1885. The Clovers had two daughters, Beatrice Miller Clover and Mary Eudora Miller Clover. Beatrice married Thomas Holcomb
, who served as Commandant of the United States Marine Corps during the early part of World War II.
, Alaska, are named for him. Clover Deep, an undersea valley at 37N, 137 W off the coast of California, was named for him in 1895. The name changed to Glover Deep as the result of a typographical error and neither name is in current use.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. An 1867 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he was a noted hydrographer, served as Director of Naval Intelligence
Director of Naval Intelligence
The Director of Naval Intelligence refers to either one of two posts, both related to naval intelligence:* The head of the Naval Intelligence Division of the British Admiralty; or* The head of the Office of Naval Intelligence in the United States....
, and commanded the gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. He was socially prominent in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and served as US Naval Attaché to Great Britain. He commanded the on the Asiatic Station and served as President of the Board of Inspection and Survey
Board of Inspection and Survey
The Board of Inspection and Survey is a U.S. Navy organization whose purpose is to inspect and assess material condition of Naval vessels.The Board is currently headquartered at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia.- INSURV teams :...
. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1907 and retired in 1908.
Biography
Clover was born in Hagerstown, MarylandHagerstown, Maryland
Hagerstown is a city in northwestern Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Washington County, and, by many definitions, the largest city in a region known as Western Maryland. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2010 census was 39,662, and the population of the...
, son of Lewis Peter Clover and Sarah Ann Ackerman Clover. His father was an artist who later became an Episcopal minister, serving congregations in Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois, and New York. Richardson Clover was appointed to the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
from Missouri in July 1863 and graduated in 1867. His first posting was to the frigate Susquehanna.
Clover had a varied career in the service including several hydrographic assignments. He served on the Coast Survey steamer on the Pacific coast 1874-77, and had a brief assignment to the Naval Hydrographic Office
Naval Oceanographic Office
The Naval Oceanographic Office , located at John C. Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi, comprises approximately 1,000 civilian, military and contract personnel responsible for providing oceanographic products and services to all elements within the Department of Defense.Valued by maritime...
. He was again assigned to the Coast Survey in 1881, first in the Washington office and then commanding the schooner Palinurus surveying Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
. He supervised construction of the steamer and became her first commander. Under Clover, the Patterson sailed to California by way of the Straits of Magellan and subsequently made surveys in southeastern Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
in 1885, covering the north shore of Dixon Entrance
Dixon Entrance
The Dixon Entrance is a strait about long and wide in the Pacific Ocean at the International Boundary between the U.S. state of Alaska and the province of British Columbia in Canada. It was named by Joseph Banks for Captain George Dixon, a Royal Navy officer, fur trader, and explorer, who...
(except for Cordova Bay
Cordova bay
Cordova Bay is a bay in the Alexander Archipelago of southeast Alaska. It opens onto Dixon Entrance to the south, between Cape Muzon on Dall Island and Point Marsh . The name Puerto Cordova y Cordova was given by the Spanish explorer Lieutenant Don Jacinto Caamaño in 1792, in honor of Admiral Luis...
), and Clarence Strait
Clarence Strait
Clarence Strait, originally Duke of Clarence Strait, is a strait in southeastern Alaska, in the United States in the Alexander Archipelago. The strait separates Prince of Wales Island, on the west side, from Revillagigedo Island and Annette Island, on the east side...
as far north as Union Bay. He remained in charge of the Patterson and the Southeast Alaska survey until he was relieved by A.S Snow in March 1886.
Following a year's leave accompanying his marriage, Clover was posted to the torpedo station at Newport and then attended the Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
from September 1887 until January 1888. Subsequently he was posted as Navigator on the , then as Executive officer on the from December 1888 to December 1889. During this period Dolphin completed her round-the-world cruise.
He returned to the Naval Hydrographic Office in 1889. He became Acting Hydrographer in September 1890 and was formally appointed Hydrographer (i.e. head of the office) in May 1891, accompanying his appointment as Lieutenant Commander. He was appointed one of the initial members, and secretary, of the Board on Geographic Names
United States Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names is a United States federal body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the U.S. government.-Overview:...
in 1890. He continued as Hydrographer until 1893.
Clover served on the Phythian Board on the reorganization of the Navy. Subsequently he was posted to the cruiser , serving as Executive Officer under Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Alfred Thayer Mahan was a United States Navy flag officer, geostrategist, and historian, who has been called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." His concept of "sea power" was based on the idea that countries with greater naval power will have greater worldwide...
, author of The Influence of Sea Power upon History
The Influence of Sea Power upon History
The Influence of Sea Power Upon History: 1660-1783 is a history of naval warfare written in 1890 by Alfred Thayer Mahan. It details the role of sea power throughout history and discusses the various factors needed to support and achieve sea power, with emphasis on having the largest and most...
. In December 1895, he was appointed to the Board revising Naval Regulations. Subsequently he commanded the in 1896-7.
Clover was appointed Chief Intelligence Officer of the Office of Naval Intelligence
Office of Naval Intelligence
The Office of Naval Intelligence was established in the United States Navy in 1882. ONI was established to "seek out and report" on the advancements in other nations' navies. Its headquarters are at the National Maritime Intelligence Center in Suitland, Maryland...
from November 1897 to May 1898 and then again from October 1898 to February 1900. While on his first term as Chief Intelligence Officer, then-Cmdr. Clover was also member of the War and Strategy Board established by the Secretary of the Navy John D. Long to provide him with operational and strategic advice. Also on that board was Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Assistant Secretary of the Navy is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy....
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. In the period leading up to the Spanish–American War, Clover organized intelligence-gathering efforts to establish the location, condition, and order of battle of the Spanish naval forces. These efforts included espionage as well as the more usual compilation of information from open and diplomatic channels. However, when the war started, Clover left his position to take an active combat position as commanding officer of the gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
from May to September 1898.
After his stint on the Bancroft Clover resumed his duties as Chief Intelligence Officer until February 1900, then was reassigned as the Naval Attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
at the U.S. Embassy in London from April 1900 to June 1903 He was promoted to captain on April 11, 1902. After a short hiatus at home he became the commanding officer of the battleship from January 1904 to December 1905, while for most of this time also serving as Chief-of-Staff of the Asiatic Fleet
United States Asiatic Fleet
The United States Asiatic Fleet was part of the U.S. Navy. Preceding the World War II era, until 1942, the fleet protected the Philippines.Originally the Asiatic Squadron, it was upgraded to fleet status in 1902. In 1907, the fleet became the First Squadron of the Pacific Fleet. However, on 28...
. Then after a one-year hiatus he became a member, then the president of the Board of Inspection and Survey
Board of Inspection and Survey
The Board of Inspection and Survey is a U.S. Navy organization whose purpose is to inspect and assess material condition of Naval vessels.The Board is currently headquartered at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia.- INSURV teams :...
from February 1907 to July 1908, during which he was promoted to rear admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
. He retired on July 11, 1908.
Clover died on October 14, 1919, in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
while on route from San Francisco, California to Washington, D.C. He is buried with his wife in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
Personal life
Clover was married on 19 May 1886 to Mary Eudora Miller. She was the daughter of Senator John F. MillerJohn Franklin Miller (California senator)
John Franklin Miller was a lawyer, businessman, and general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He represented California in the United States Senate from 1881 until his death.-Early life and career:...
from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the wealthy former head of the Alaska Commercial Company
Alaska Commercial Company
The Alaska Commercial Company is a company that operated retail stores in Alaska during the early period of Alaska's ownership by the United States. From 1901 to 1992, it was known as the Northern Commercial Company . In 1992, it resumed business as the Alaska Commercial Company under the...
. Clover named Dora Bay, Miller Lake, and Mt. Eudora in Alaska, presumably for her, in 1885. The Clovers had two daughters, Beatrice Miller Clover and Mary Eudora Miller Clover. Beatrice married Thomas Holcomb
Thomas Holcomb
General Thomas Holcomb was the seventeenth Commandant of the United States Marine Corps . He was the first Marine to achieve the rank of General. After retiring from the Marine Corps, Holcomb served as Minister to South Africa .-Early years:Holcomb was born on August 5, 1879 in New Castle, Delaware...
, who served as Commandant of the United States Marine Corps during the early part of World War II.
Namesakes
Clover Bay and Clover Passage in the Alexander ArchipelagoAlexander Archipelago
The Alexander Archipelago is a long archipelago, or group of islands, of North America off the southeastern coast of Alaska. It contains about 1,100 islands, which are the tops of the submerged coastal mountains that rise steeply from the Pacific Ocean. Deep channels and fjords separate the...
, Alaska, are named for him. Clover Deep, an undersea valley at 37N, 137 W off the coast of California, was named for him in 1895. The name changed to Glover Deep as the result of a typographical error and neither name is in current use.
Further reading
- The Rise and Fall of American Naval Intelligence, 1882-1917 Mark Russell Shulman Intelligence and National Security 8 (2) 214-226, 1993. Posted on author's web site.
- Waiting for dead men's shoes: origins and development of the U.S. Navy's officer personnel system, 1793-1941 Donald Chisholm; includes coverage of the Phythian Board of 1891 dealing with imbalances of officer numbers and the Navy career path. Lists Clover as "Richardson Glover". Explains what the Phythian Board was trying to accomplish, and the results of their report.
- http://books.google.com/books?id=8v4qAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA3-PA683&lpg=RA3-PA683&dq=%22Richardson+Clover%22+Bancroft+Santiago&source=bl&ots=-oI35ZrhzT&sig=NXINjMHBszMp0AzJ5qcYmBvBZXM&hl=en&ei=W9FdTMD2IISBlAf10LiZCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=%22Richardson%20Clover%22%20Bancroft%20Santiago&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=8v4qAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA3-PA683&lpg=RA3-PA683&dq=%22Richardson+Clover%22+Bancroft+Santiago&source=bl&ots=-oI35ZrhzT&sig=NXINjMHBszMp0AzJ5qcYmBvBZXM&hl=en&ei=W9FdTMD2IISBlAf10LiZCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=%22Richardson%20Clover%22%20&f=false Clover's reports - operations of USS Bancroft during Spanish-American War.