Richard Russell Waldron
Encyclopedia
Richard Russell Waldron was a purser
"and special agent" in the Wilkes Expedition, together with younger brother Thomas Westbrook Waldron (consul)
. Cape Waldron
in Antarctica, and perhaps Waldron Island in Washington state
, were named after him. Waldron Ledge overlooking the Hawaiian Kilauea
Crater is named after him. After the expedition was completed Waldron enjoyed some popularity and influence in Washington, D.C.
and Olive Huske Sheafe, he would have seen the 1819 bankruptcy of his father, the 1820 loss of the substantial landholdings that his family had possessed continuously since his ancestor Richard Waldron
began to acquire Dover, New Hampshire
holdings in 1635, and the 1821 death of his father.
" and he had possession of his ancestor Richard Waldron's
papers. In September 1845 he provided Father Sebastien Rale
's strongbox, another family heirloom, for safekeeping to the Massachusetts Historical Society
.
coast. In May 1841 this expedition charted the San Juan Islands
of present-day Washington State, and one of the islands was named Waldron Island during this expedition. It is difficult to sort out which Waldron brother lent his name to the island, but Cape Waldron
was named after Richard Russell Waldron.
The expedition also visited Hawaii where "Purser R. R. Waldron and Joseph Drayton ventured inside the crater [one of Mauna Loa
's lower volcanic craters, Kilauea
] and walked on the dome's hot surface until lava oozed through cracks that formed within fifteen feet of them." Waldron Ledge, adjacent to this crater, is now a twenty minute hike and tourist attraction described in books and on youtube.
Waldron also witnessed a treaty between the United States (signed by Wilkes) and the Sultan of Sulu in 1842.
Daniel Webster
at the secretary's home that evening [December 24, 1842]."
In December 1842 he was among those credited with assisting the delegation from the Kingdom of Hawaii
. They "received encouragement and support from knowledgeable and experienced naval officers, most notably Charles Wilkes
and Richard Waldron, who had traversed the immense reaches of the Pacific Ocean and understood the strategic importance of the Hawaiian Islands
.... In all, these [and other] insider contacts paved the way for Haalilio and Richards
to meet on seven occasions with the reluctant and evasive Secretary Webster
. Eventually the Hawaiian delegates also succeeded in having an audience with President Tyler
and other members of his cabinet.
Waldron was even linked with Julia Gardiner, future wife of President Tyler. Before that romance flourished, "it seems Julia
and sister Margaret often went dancing and that Julia's date sometimes was naval officer Richard R. Waldron, 23, who had been a member of the Pacific explorations of Wilkes
. Julia considered him too "boyish". Having passed up Mr. Waldron, Julia Gardiner Tyler became the second wife of President John Tyler
a couple of years later, at the age of 24.
Historian Edward Crapol incorrectly characterizes the then-39 year old Richard Russell Waldron as a young 23 year old midshipman in 1842, and Lyle Emerson Nelson follows him in that. It is not known whether Waldron appeared very young for his age, or if his youngest brother Thomas
(then 28) was mis-identified as him.
Purser
The purser joined the warrant officer ranks of the Royal Navy in the early fourteenth century and existed as a Naval rank until 1852. The development of the warrant officer system began in 1040 when five English ports began furnishing warships to King Edward the Confessor in exchange for certain...
"and special agent" in the Wilkes Expedition, together with younger brother Thomas Westbrook Waldron (consul)
Thomas Westbrook Waldron (consul)
]Thomas Westbrook Waldron was a captain's clerk on the Wilkes Expedition, and the first United States consul to Hong Kong. His service to the United States consular service was honoured by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton during a ceremony in 2009...
. Cape Waldron
Cape Waldron
Cape Waldron is an ice-covered cape in Antarctica, just westward of Totten Glacier. It was delineated by G.D. Blodgett from aerial photographs taken by USN Operation Highjump , and named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for R.R. Waldron, purser on the sloop USS Vincennes of the...
in Antarctica, and perhaps Waldron Island in Washington state
Washington State
Washington State may refer to:* Washington , often referred to as "Washington state" to differentiate it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States* Washington State University, a land-grant college in that state- See also :...
, were named after him. Waldron Ledge overlooking the Hawaiian Kilauea
Kilauea
Kīlauea is a volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, and one of five shield volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. Kīlauea means "spewing" or "much spreading" in the Hawaiian language, referring to its frequent outpouring of lava. The Puu Ōō cone has been continuously erupting in the eastern...
Crater is named after him. After the expedition was completed Waldron enjoyed some popularity and influence in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Youth
Born March 28, 1803, the oldest son of Daniel WaldronDaniel Waldron
Daniel Waldron was the fifth and last generation of his family to hold the substantial Waldron estate in Dover, New Hampshire. With his bankruptcy Dover realized a new life and economy as a center of textile manufacturing.-Birth and inheritance:...
and Olive Huske Sheafe, he would have seen the 1819 bankruptcy of his father, the 1820 loss of the substantial landholdings that his family had possessed continuously since his ancestor Richard Waldron
Richard Waldron
Major Richard Waldron dominated the society and economy of early colonial Dover, New Hampshire and had a substantial presence in greater New Hampshire and in neighbouring Massachusetts...
began to acquire Dover, New Hampshire
Dover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
holdings in 1635, and the 1821 death of his father.
Family heirlooms
By February 1827 he was "of PortsmouthPortsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
" and he had possession of his ancestor Richard Waldron's
Richard Waldron (Secretary)
Richard Waldron was a major opponent of the Wentworth oligarchy in colonial New Hampshire. He supported a continued political subordination of New Hampshire to Massachusetts and opposed moves to separation from this traditional senior partner...
papers. In September 1845 he provided Father Sebastien Rale
Sébastien Rale
Sébastien Rale, , , was a Jesuit missionary and lexicographer who worked among the eastern Abenaki people, but became caught up in political and military struggles between New France, New England and the natives, which would claim his life during Dummer's War.-Early years:Born in Pontarlier, France,...
's strongbox, another family heirloom, for safekeeping to the Massachusetts Historical Society
Massachusetts Historical Society
The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history...
.
Wilkes Expedition
Waldron was a member of the Wilkes Expedition which in 1840 visited Antarctica and charted much of the west coast of the then-disputed Washington stateWashington State
Washington State may refer to:* Washington , often referred to as "Washington state" to differentiate it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States* Washington State University, a land-grant college in that state- See also :...
coast. In May 1841 this expedition charted the San Juan Islands
San Juan Islands
The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the northwest corner of the contiguous United States between the US mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of the U.S...
of present-day Washington State, and one of the islands was named Waldron Island during this expedition. It is difficult to sort out which Waldron brother lent his name to the island, but Cape Waldron
Cape Waldron
Cape Waldron is an ice-covered cape in Antarctica, just westward of Totten Glacier. It was delineated by G.D. Blodgett from aerial photographs taken by USN Operation Highjump , and named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for R.R. Waldron, purser on the sloop USS Vincennes of the...
was named after Richard Russell Waldron.
The expedition also visited Hawaii where "Purser R. R. Waldron and Joseph Drayton ventured inside the crater [one of Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, and the largest on Earth in terms of volume and area covered. It is an active shield volcano, with a volume estimated at approximately , although its peak is about lower than that...
's lower volcanic craters, Kilauea
Kilauea
Kīlauea is a volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, and one of five shield volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. Kīlauea means "spewing" or "much spreading" in the Hawaiian language, referring to its frequent outpouring of lava. The Puu Ōō cone has been continuously erupting in the eastern...
] and walked on the dome's hot surface until lava oozed through cracks that formed within fifteen feet of them." Waldron Ledge, adjacent to this crater, is now a twenty minute hike and tourist attraction described in books and on youtube.
Waldron also witnessed a treaty between the United States (signed by Wilkes) and the Sultan of Sulu in 1842.
Washington, D.C.
In the months after the conclusion of the Wilkes Expedition, several of the officers found themselves much in demand in Washington society. "Chief among the widely traveled sailors being adoringly feted was Richard R. Waldron ...." "...[T]he well-connected Richard Waldron ... was scheduled to dine with Secretary of StateSecretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
at the secretary's home that evening [December 24, 1842]."
In December 1842 he was among those credited with assisting the delegation from the Kingdom of Hawaii
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
. They "received encouragement and support from knowledgeable and experienced naval officers, most notably Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes was an American naval officer and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and commanded the ship in the Trent Affair during the American Civil War...
and Richard Waldron, who had traversed the immense reaches of the Pacific Ocean and understood the strategic importance of the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
.... In all, these [and other] insider contacts paved the way for Haalilio and Richards
William Richards (Hawaii)
William Richards was a missionary and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Family life:William Richards was born in Plainfield, Massachusetts on August 22, 1793. His father was James Richards and mother was Lydia Shaw. He was schooled under Moses Hallock in Plainfield, attended Williams College...
to meet on seven occasions with the reluctant and evasive Secretary Webster
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
. Eventually the Hawaiian delegates also succeeded in having an audience with President Tyler
John Tyler
John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
and other members of his cabinet.
Waldron was even linked with Julia Gardiner, future wife of President Tyler. Before that romance flourished, "it seems Julia
Julia Gardiner Tyler
Julia Gardiner Tyler , second wife of John Tyler, was First Lady of the United States from June 26, 1844, to March 4, 1845.-Early life:...
and sister Margaret often went dancing and that Julia's date sometimes was naval officer Richard R. Waldron, 23, who had been a member of the Pacific explorations of Wilkes
John Wilkes
John Wilkes was an English radical, journalist and politician.He was first elected Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fought for the right of voters—rather than the House of Commons—to determine their representatives...
. Julia considered him too "boyish". Having passed up Mr. Waldron, Julia Gardiner Tyler became the second wife of President John Tyler
John Tyler
John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
a couple of years later, at the age of 24.
Historian Edward Crapol incorrectly characterizes the then-39 year old Richard Russell Waldron as a young 23 year old midshipman in 1842, and Lyle Emerson Nelson follows him in that. It is not known whether Waldron appeared very young for his age, or if his youngest brother Thomas
Thomas Westbrook Waldron (consul)
]Thomas Westbrook Waldron was a captain's clerk on the Wilkes Expedition, and the first United States consul to Hong Kong. His service to the United States consular service was honoured by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton during a ceremony in 2009...
(then 28) was mis-identified as him.