SELFRIUGE
SELFRIDGE
judge of the court of common pleas of Monroe
county. 1831-33; clerk of tiie eightli cliancery
circuit for several years; judge of tiie supreme
court of New York. 1847-55, being nominated
and electe<l while absent from the state, and of
the court of appeals. l85r)-(3'2. He was elected to
the supreme court and the court of appeals be-
fore he had api>earid at tiie bar of either court.
He resigne<l in 18<V2. and retired to private life.
He received the degree LL.D. from the Univer-
sity of R.H-hester in 1856. He died in Rochester,
N.Y.. Sept. 20. i8rr>.
SELFRIDOE, Thomas Oliver, naval officer, was born in B..stun. Mass.. April 24, 1804; son of Thomas Oliver and Su>an G. (Condy) Selfridge; grandson of Eduard and Hannah (Miles) Self- ridge. He was appointed to the navy as mid- shipman, Jan. 1, 1818; commissioned lieutenant, March 3, 1827; was attached to the Natchez of the E.ast India squadron, 1830; to the Dehnvare of the Mediterranean squadron in 1834, and to the Carolina in 1837. He was promoted commander, April 11, 1844, and served on the Columbus, East India s«iuadron, 1845-46; Pacific squadron during the Mexican war, 1846-47; commanded the sloop Dale in the capture of ^lazatlan and Guaymasin 1847. and having been badly wounded in the latter engagement, was invalided home in June, 1848. He was subsequently appointed to the Boston navy yard, where he remained until 1861, when he commanded the steam frigate ]\Iississippi of the gulf squadron for a few months. He was pro- moted captain, Sept. 14,1855; commodore, July 16, 1862; was stationed in the Pacific and at the Mare Island, Cal.,navy yard. 1861-65; was retired Viy law. April 24, 18C6. and commissioned rear- admiral. July 25, 1806. After his retirement he made his home at Georgetown, S.C. He was president of the examining board, 1869-70, and a member of the board, 1870-71, and lighthouse inspector at Boston, 1870. He was married to Louisa Gary, daughter of John Soley, and of their sons, Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr. (q.v.), was alsf> a rear-admiral, U.S.N. , and James R. Self- ridge became a commander in the U.S.N. Rear- Admiral Thomas O. Selfridge, Sr., died at "Waverly, Mass., Oct. 16, 1902, probably the oldest living officer of the rank in any navy of the world. He was burifd at Forest Hills cemetery.
SELFRIDGE, Thomas Oliver, Jr., naval officer, w;ls lM)ni in Cliarlestown, Mass., Feb. 6, 1836; .v>n of Thomas Oliver (q.v.) and Louisa Gary (.Soley) Selfridge. He was graduated at the head of his cla.ss after a three years' course at the U.S. Naval academy in 1854; was ad- vanced to passfd midshipman, 1856; took part in the destruction of the Norfolk navy yard and in the bombardment and capture of the Hatteras forts, and was commi.ssioned lieutenant, Feb. 15,
ff^f^.
1860. He was on board the Cumberland, when
she was sunk by the Merrhiinc: was placed in
command of the Monitor, Captain Worden being
wounded, and commanded the Allifjator in its
disastrous voyage down the Potomac. He was
promoted lieutenant-
commander, Juh' 16,
1862; assigned to the
Mississippi squadron,
and commanded the
gunboat Cairo, which
was blown up by a
torpedo boat in the
Yazoo river back
of the defences of
Vicksburg. Comman-
der Selfridge being
obliged to swim for
his life. He had
command of a siege
battery in the cap-
ture of Vicksburg,
and while commanding the gunboat Cone^toga ,
his vessel was sunk by collision with a Con-
federate ram. At Blair's Landing, April 12, 1864,
with the Osage, he drove off the Confederate cav-
alry. He commanded the gunboat Huron during
the two bombardments of Fort Fisher: led one of
the assaulting columns of sailors against that fort,
and also took part in the bombardment of Fort
Anderson and in the capture of Wilmington.
He was married, Aug. 29, 1865, to Ellen, daugh-
ter of George N. and Lucy Sliepley. After the
civil war he commanded the Nipsic; was pro-
moted commander, Dec. 31, 1869. and with four
vessels had charge of surveys for the oceanic
canal across the Isthmus of Darien, 1869-73; and
was a member of the international congress at
Paris in 1876, convened to discuss the subject of
the canal. He commanded the Enterprise. North
Atlantic station, 1877-80; was promoted cap-
tain, Feb. 24, 1881; was in charge of the torpedo
station at Newport, R.I., 1882-85; commanded
the Omaha of the Asiatic squadron. 1885-87,
when some natives of Japan were killed liy a
shell at target practice, and for alleged careless-
ness in the affair Captain Selfridge was court-
martialed at Washington in 1888, but was ac-
quitted. He was in charge of the Boston navy
yard, 1890-93; was promoted commodore, 1894,
and rear-admiral. 1896; and was commander-in-
chief of the European squadron, 1895-98. He was
retired from .service by age limit, Feb. 6. 1898,
and made iiis home in Washington, D.C. He
was an honorary member of the Royal Geo-
graphical society of Belgium, Chevalier of the
L«'gion of Honor, France, and the recipient of a
gold medal from the Emperor of Russia in honor
of his coronation.
