Presley Marion Rixey
Encyclopedia
Rear Admiral Presley Marion Rixey (14 July 1852, Culpeper, Virginia
– 17 June 1928) was a Surgeon General of the United States Navy
(1902–10) and personal physician to Presidents William McKinley
and Theodore Roosevelt
.
, Rixey earned his medical degree at the University of Virginia
in 1873. On 25 April 1877, he married Earlena J. English, daughter of Rear Admiral Earl English, United States Navy.
He was commissioned Assistant Surgeon in the Navy on 28 January 1874. He served on the , , (1879–82), (1884–87), (1893–96), and , receiving promotion to Passed Assistant Surgeon on 18 April 1877, to Surgeon on 27 November 1888, and was commissioned as a Medical Inspector on 24 August 1900.
He attended President McKinley after he was shot
in Buffalo, New York
, in 1901.
Rixey was appointed Surgeon General of the United States Navy
on 15 February 1902 and served as Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, with the rank of rear admiral, until his retirement on 4 February 1910.
During his tenure as Surgeon General Rixey strongly supported the foundation of a women's nursing corps for the Navy. In his 1902 annual report he stated that, "There has been a growing conviction in the minds of many of the most experienced medical officers of the service, especially since the war with Spain, that the employment of women for the nursing of the sick in our large hospitals would result in greater efficiency than has been obtained heretofore by the use of male nurses alone, and that such employment would not conflict with the conditions arising from the military character of the institution." With his help the Navy Nurse Corps
was finally established in 1908.
From 16 January 1913 to 16 April 1917, Rixey served as a member of the Naval Examining Board, presiding over it during the last four months of that period. He died at his home in Rosslyn, Virginia., on 17 June 1928. He is interred in Arlington National Cemetery
.
after that vessel suffered an explosion in New York Harbor on May 26, 1893, on its way to the World's Columbian Exposition
.
Culpeper, Virginia
Culpeper is an incorporated town in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,664 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Culpeper County. Culpeper is part of the Culpeper Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Culpeper County. Both the Town of Culpeper and...
– 17 June 1928) was a Surgeon General of the United States Navy
Surgeon General of the United States Navy
The Surgeon General of the United States Navy is the senior-most medical corps officer in the United States Navy.- Establishment of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery :...
(1902–10) and personal physician to Presidents William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
and Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
.
Biography
The older brother of John Franklin RixeyJohn Franklin Rixey
John Franklin Rixey was a Democratic U.S. Congressman from Virginia's 8th congressional district from 1897 to 1907....
, Rixey earned his medical degree at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in 1873. On 25 April 1877, he married Earlena J. English, daughter of Rear Admiral Earl English, United States Navy.
He was commissioned Assistant Surgeon in the Navy on 28 January 1874. He served on the , , (1879–82), (1884–87), (1893–96), and , receiving promotion to Passed Assistant Surgeon on 18 April 1877, to Surgeon on 27 November 1888, and was commissioned as a Medical Inspector on 24 August 1900.
He attended President McKinley after he was shot
William McKinley assassination
The assassination of William McKinley occurred on September 6, 1901, inside the Temple of Music located on the grounds of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York...
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, in 1901.
Rixey was appointed Surgeon General of the United States Navy
Surgeon General of the United States Navy
The Surgeon General of the United States Navy is the senior-most medical corps officer in the United States Navy.- Establishment of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery :...
on 15 February 1902 and served as Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, with the rank of rear admiral, until his retirement on 4 February 1910.
During his tenure as Surgeon General Rixey strongly supported the foundation of a women's nursing corps for the Navy. In his 1902 annual report he stated that, "There has been a growing conviction in the minds of many of the most experienced medical officers of the service, especially since the war with Spain, that the employment of women for the nursing of the sick in our large hospitals would result in greater efficiency than has been obtained heretofore by the use of male nurses alone, and that such employment would not conflict with the conditions arising from the military character of the institution." With his help the Navy Nurse Corps
United States Navy Nurse Corps
The United States Navy Nurse Corps was officially established by Congress in 1908; however, unofficially, women had been working as nurses aboard Navy ships and in Navy hospitals for nearly 100 years.-Pre-1908:...
was finally established in 1908.
From 16 January 1913 to 16 April 1917, Rixey served as a member of the Naval Examining Board, presiding over it during the last four months of that period. He died at his home in Rosslyn, Virginia., on 17 June 1928. He is interred in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
Awards
Rixey received the Spanish Order of Naval Merit from King Alphonso XIII of Spain for assistance he gave to the crew of the replica of the Santa MariaSanta María (ship)
La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción , was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa.-History:...
after that vessel suffered an explosion in New York Harbor on May 26, 1893, on its way to the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
.
Legacy
- Rixey's estate in Arlington, Virginia, became the campus of Marymount UniversityMarymount UniversityMarymount University is a coeducational, four-year Catholic university that has its main campus located in Arlington, Virginia. Marymount offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in a wide range of disciplines and has a diverse and welcoming academic community with approximately 3,600...
, and his home was renamed Main House. - The World War II casualty evacuation transport was named for him.
- The Rixey station on the Great Falls and Old Dominion RailroadGreat Falls and Old Dominion RailroadThe Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad was an interurban trolley line that ran in Northern Virginia during the early 20th century.-History:...
was built for his estate.
External links
- 1905 Biographical Sketch
- Record at Arlington National Cemetery
- Bio at Navy History
- "Guarding the Health of Our Presidents", by Presley Marion Rixey, M.D.
- Presley M. Rixey at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...