Seth Ledyard Phelps was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 naval officer, politician, and diplomat. He served with distinction in the U.S. Navy

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...

 during the Civil War and afterward was appointed president of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia and then as U.S. Minister to Peru

United States Ambassador to Peru

The following is a list of United States Ambassadors, or other Chiefs of Mission, to Peru. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.-See also:...

.

Biography

Phelps was born on January 13, 1824 in Chardon, Ohio

Chardon, Ohio

Chardon is a city in Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,148 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Geauga County.-History:Chardon is named after Peter Chardon Brooks, who donated land to build the historic Chardon Square....

, and enlisted in the Navy shortly before his eighteenth birthday in October 1841, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander

Lieutenant Commander

Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...

. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Phelps was commanding the gunboat USS Conestoga

USS Conestoga (1861)

USS Conestoga was originally a civilian side-wheel towboat built at Brownsville, Pennsylvania, in 1859. She was acquired by the U.S. Army in June 1861 and converted to a 572 ton "timberclad" river gunboat for use by the Western Gunboat Flotilla, with officers provided by the Navy.-Civil War...

. He gained command of two additional timberclad

Timberclad warship

A timberclad warship is a kind of mid 19th century river gunboat.They were based upon a similar design as ironclad warships however had timber armour in place of iron.-See also:*Cottonclad warship*Battle of Fort Henry*USS Essex...

 gunboats, the USS Tyler

USS Tyler (1857)

USS Tyler was originally a merchant ship named A. O. Tyler, a commercial side-wheel steamboat with twin stacks and covered paddles positioned aft. Constructed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1857, it was acquired by the United States Navy, 5 June 1861 for service in the American Civil War and converted...

 and USS Lexington

USS Lexington (1861)

The third USS Lexington was a timberclad gunboat in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.-Purchase and conversion:Lexington was built as a sidewheel steamer at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1861 and was purchased by the War Department and converted into a gunboat at Cincinnati, Ohio,...

, and as such was instrumental in the Union victory at the Battle of Fort Henry

Battle of Fort Henry

The Battle of Fort Henry was fought on February 6, 1862, in western Tennessee, during the American Civil War. It was the first important victory for the Union and Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in the Western Theater....

 on the Tennessee River

Tennessee River

The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...

 in 1862, in which he served as part of General Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...

's invasion force.

After the war, in 1875, his onetime commander Grant (now President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

) nominated Phelps to serve on the temporary Board of Commissioners. When Congress made it official in 1878, Phelps was elected as the permanent Board's first president. He served for one year, resigning on November 29, 1879.

In 1883, President Chester A. Arthur

Chester A. Arthur

Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...

 appointed Phelps Minister to Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

, where he served until his death on June 24, 1885. He was buried in Washington at Oak Hill Cemetery.

Phelps Vocational School in Northeast DC is named for Phelps. Additionally, his home at 15 Logan Circle

Logan Circle

Logan Circle may refer to:*Logan Circle, Washington, D.C., a traffic circle and neighborhood in Washington, D.C.*Logan Circle , a park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania also known as Logan Square...

 in Washington still stands and has been designated a national Historic Landmark.

External links

• Seth Ledyard Phelps Letterbook Missouri History Museum Archives