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  5. John Davis Long

Births on October 27

John Davis Long
1838Oct, 27

John Davis Long

John Davis Long, American lawyer and politician, 34th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 1915)
John Davis Long (October 27, 1838 – August 28, 1915) was an American lawyer, politician, and writer from Massachusetts. He was the 32nd Governor of Massachusetts, serving from 1880 to 1883. He later served as the Secretary of the Navy from 1897 to 1902, a period that included the primarily naval Spanish–American War.

Born in Buckfield, Maine, Long was educated as a lawyer at Harvard University, later settling in Hingham, Massachusetts. He became active in Republican Party politics in the 1870s, winning election for the state legislature in 1874. He rose rapidly in prominence, and was elected lieutenant governor in 1879 and governor in 1880. He advocated modest reforms during his three years as governor, which were relatively uneventful.

After returning to private practice he was offered a cabinet post by his friend, President William McKinley, in 1896. He chose to become Secretary of the Navy despite lacking detailed knowledge of naval matters. He clashed with his Under-Secretary, Theodore Roosevelt, over expansion of the Navy when the Spanish–American War broke out in 1898. He resigned the post after Roosevelt became president, and resumed his law practice. He died at his home in 1915; his publications include a lifelong journal, a history of the Spanish–American War, and a verse translation of Virgil's Aeneid.

References

  • John Davis Long
  • United States Secretary of the Navy

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Events on 1838

  • 6Jan

    Telegraphy

    Alfred Vail demonstrates a telegraph system using dots and dashes (this is the forerunner of Morse code).
  • 28Jun

    Queen Victoria

    Coronation of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
  • 18Aug

    Puget Sound

    The Wilkes Expedition, which would explore the Puget Sound and Antarctica, weighs anchor at Hampton Roads.
  • 3Sep

    Frederick Douglass

    Future abolitionist Frederick Douglass escapes from slavery.
  • 27Oct

    Extermination Order (Mormonism)

    Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs issues the Extermination Order, which orders all Mormons to leave the state or be exterminated.

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