Edward Alvin Clary was a United States 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...

 sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

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Biography

A native of Foxport, Fleming County, Kentucky

Fleming County, Kentucky

Fleming County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1798. As of 2000, the population was 13,792. Its county seat is Flemingsburg. The county is named for Colonel John Fleming. It's a prohibition or dry county...

, Clary joined the Navy from that state. By February 14, 1910, he was serving as a watertender

Watertender

A watertender is a crewman aboard a steam-powered ship who is responsible for tending to the fires and boilers in the ship's engine room.In the United States Navy, "watertender" was a petty officer rating which existed from 1884 to 1948. Watertenders held a paygrade equivalent to today's petty...

 on the . On that day, the Hopkins experienced a boiler

Boiler

A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...

 accident. For his actions during the incident, Bonney was awarded the Medal of Honor a month later, on March 23, 1910. Another sailor, Chief Watertender Robert Earl Bonney, received the medal for the same incident.

Clary's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Hopkins for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession on the occasion of the accident to one of the boilers of that vessel, 14 February 1910.

Clary reached the rank of chief

Chief Petty Officer

A chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.-Canada:"Chief Petty Officer" refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...

 watertender

Watertender

A watertender is a crewman aboard a steam-powered ship who is responsible for tending to the fires and boilers in the ship's engine room.In the United States Navy, "watertender" was a petty officer rating which existed from 1884 to 1948. Watertenders held a paygrade equivalent to today's petty...

 before leaving the Navy after a 30-year career. He later worked as a prohibition

Prohibition in the United States

Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...

 agent and lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...

. At age 55, he died at his home in Santa Fe of coronary thrombosis

Coronary thrombosis

Coronary thrombosis is a form of thrombosis affecting the coronary circulation. It is associated with stenosis subsequent to clotting. The condition is considered as a type of ischaemic heart disease.It can lead to a myocardial infarction...

; he was buried in Santa Fe National Cemetery

Santa Fe National Cemetery

Santa Fe National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of Santa Fe, in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005, had 39,695 interments...

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See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients during peacetime

External links