Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/272

 SCIILF.Y

SCHMIDT

in Korea. Lieut. IIukU K. McKee was killed at his sitic on tiie parapet while attacking the main fortitioation.s. He served as liead of the depart- ment of modern languages at the Naval academy, l87iJ-76, and was promoted commander, June 10, 1874. He was on the Brazil station in the Essex, 1876-79. rescuing from the Island of Tristam d'Acamba an American crew shipwrecked there. In 1S84, he commanded an expedition that res- cued Lieut. Adolphus W. (Jreely and six compan- ions from deatliat Cape Sahine in Grinnell Laud. For this, the Maryland legislature gave liim a vote of thanks and a gold clironometer watch, aiul tiie Massachusetts Humane Society presented him with a gold medal. He was made chief of bureau of equipment and recruiting for the navy department at Wasliington in 1885; was promoted captain, March 31, 1888, and when the Baltiuwre was put into commission, he took command of her, 18vS9-92, commanding that ves- sel in Valparaiso where a number of her crew were killed and wounded by a mob on shore. In October of the same year he settled this difficulty at Valparaiso, the Chilian government apologizing for the insult, and paying an indemnitj' of $75,- 000. In August, 1891, he carried the body of John Ericsson, the inventor of the monitor, to Sweden, and was presented with a gold medal by the king. He served as light-house inspector, 1893-95, and on the cruiser New York, 189-5-97, and as chairman of the lighthouse board, 1897-98. On Feb. 6. 1898. he was promoted commodore, was later selected to command the flying squad- ron to protect the Atlantic seaboard with the U.S. cruiser Brooklyn as his flagship. He was

pre«:ent in the battle which destroyed Cervera's squadron and cajitured its personel off Santiago, July 3. 1898. On Aug. 10, 1898, he was pro- moted Ijy the President to the rank of rear- admiral, 'for eminent and conspicuous conduct in battle." and on August 29, was appointed one of the commissioners to direct the evacuation of Porto Rico. In December of the same year he was presented with a jewelled medal by the Maryland legislature, and given its vote of thanks and a service of silver by Maryland friends. He was assigned to duty on the naval examining board, April 14, 1899, and on April 27, was trans-

ferred to the naval retiring board as senior mem- ber. In December, 1898, residents of Pennsj-l- vauia presented him a gold and jewelled sword. He received the degree of LL.D. from George- town university, June 22. 1899, and on Nov. 4 of the same year, residents of Atlanta presented him with a silver loving cup. He was assigned to duty as commander of the South Atlantic squadron. Nov. 18, 1899, and was retired Oct. 9, 1901, having reached the age limit fixed In- law. The fact that Coimnodore Sampson was tempo- rarily absent, by order of the President, from San- tiago on the morning Cervera made his effort to escape from the harbor, caused a dispute between the respective friends of Sampson and Schley as to who was actually in command of the United States fleet on that day. The third volume of Maclay's " A History of the United States Navy" (the first two volumes of which had been adopted as a text-book by the Naval academy) contained reflections on Schlej''s conduct, charg- ing him with irregularities. At Schley's request a court of inquirj- convened Sept. 1, 1901. to in- vestigate his conduct during the fight, and the majoritj' report, which was not wholly favorable to Schley, was excepted to by Admiral George Dewey, the president of the court, in some particulars. The report freed Schley of the charge of irregularity and the congress of the United States thereupon prohibited the use of Maclay's history in the U.S. Naval academy. Admiral Schley is the author of The Rescue of Greely (1880).

SCHMIDT, Frederick Augustus, clergyman, was born in Leutenberg, Thuringia, Germany, Jan. 3, 1837; son of John Frederick and Helena (Wirth) Schmidt. His father died in 1839, and his mother, having relatives in Martin Stephen's colony in Missouri, came to America in 1841. In 1853 he was graduated at Concordia college, St. Louis, Mo., a member of the first class, and in 1857 was graduated from the Con- cordia Theological seminary at St. Louis, Mo. He was married, Dec. 8, 1858, to Carolina, daugh- ter of Joachim and Elisabeth (Weishaha) All- wardt of Plato, N.Y. He was pastor at Eden, N.Y., 1857-59, of St. Peter's, Baltimore. Md., 1859-61, and was profe.ssor in the Norwegian Lutheran college at Decorah, Iowa, 1861-71, at Concordia Theological seminary, 1871-76, and at the Norwegian Lutheran seminarj', Madison, Wis., 1876-86. In 1886 he became professor of systematic theology at the Norwegian Lutheran Divinity school, Northfield, Minn. Upon the formation of the United Norwegian Lutheran church in 1890, he became senior professor of its theological seminary, at St. Anthony Park, St. Paul, Minn. He received the degree of D.D. from Capitol university, Columbus, Ohio. He