Rear Admiral

Rear admiral (United States)

Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...

 John M. Bowyer (1853–1912) was an officer in the 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...

.

Bowyer was born in Cass County, Indiana; and in 1870, he was appointed to the United States Naval Academy

United States Naval Academy

The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...

 from Iowa. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1874.

Ensign

Ensign

An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...

 Bowyer served aboard the ship attached to the Northwestern Lake station. From 1881 through 1884, he was on the sloop in the Pacific.

In 1887, he was assigned to special instruction in the torpedo service. Then he was detailed to the Asiatic Station where he served aboard the screw sloop

Screw sloop

A screw sloop is a propeller-driven sloop-of-war. In the 19th century, during the introduction of the steam engine, ships driven by propellers were differentiated from those driven by paddle-wheels by referring to the ship's screws...

 . Bowyer returned to the Naval Academy from 1891 through 1894.

For the next three years, Bowyer was attached to the North Atlantic Station, serving on the cruisers and , and the ill-fated battleship .

At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War

Spanish-American War

The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

, Bowyer was assigned as Executive Officer aboard the gunboat

Gunboat

A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...

 : and from 1898 through 1901, he served on the . He was promoted to 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...

 in 1899.

In 1901, Lieutenant Commander Bowyer was assigned to ordinance duty at the Washington Navy Yard

Washington Navy Yard

The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...

.

Subsequently, Lieutenant Commander Boyer commanded the .

Bowyer reached the rank of Captain in 1907. He commanded the battleship on the "Great White Fleet

Great White Fleet

The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from 16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909 by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. It consisted of 16 battleships divided into two squadrons, along with...

" cruise around the world. Then he commanded the battleship , the flagship of the Atlantic Fleet.

Captain Bowyer was the Superintendent of the Naval Academy at Annapolis from June 10, 1909, through May 15, 1911.

Bowyer reached flag rank in September 1911; and he retired from the Navy with the rank of Rear Admiral.