Thomas Harmon Patterson (May 10, 1820 - April 9, 1889) was a 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 :...

 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...

.

Early life and career

Patterson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

, the second son of Commodore Daniel Todd Patterson

Daniel Patterson

Daniel Todd Patterson was an officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France, the First Barbary War and the War of 1812.-Biography:...

, a War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

 U.S. Navy hero, and George Ann Pollock. Patterson saw action in the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 and later served as Commander, Asiatic Squadron

Asiatic Squadron

The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century, it was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded...

 (1877–1880). While in this latter post, he participated in the lengthy 1879 visit of former President and General Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...

 to Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 at the conclusion of Grant's around-the-world tour that started in 1878.

Patterson's commands included Chocura

USS Chocura (1861)

The first USS Chocura was a which saw service with the U.S. Navy during the American Civil War.Chocura was launched 5 October 1861 by Curtis and Tilden, Boston, Massachusetts, and commissioned 15 February 1862, Commander T. H...

, Currituck

USS Currituck (1861)

USS Currituck was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy for use during the American Civil War.Her duties as a gunboat included river patrols, guard duty, and other duties as assigned.- Purchased at New York City in 1861 :...

 and James Adger

USS James Adger (1851)

USS James Adger was a sidewheel steamer in the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She retained her former name.Before being pressed into service by the United States Navy, the SS James Adger was a United States Mail Steamship operating between Charleston, South Carolina and New York City,...

. Richmond

USS Richmond (1860)

The USS Richmond was a wooden steam sloop in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.-Service in the Caribbean :Richmond was launched on 26 January 1860 by the Norfolk Navy Yard; sponsored by a Miss Robb. Richmond, commanded by Captain D. N. Ingraham, departed Norfolk, Virginia 13...

 served as his flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

 in the Asiatic Squadron. From 1873 to 1876 he commanded 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...

, as his father had done in 1836–1839. Patterson was elected on January 2, 1868, as a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States

The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, also known by its acronym MOLLUS or simply as the Loyal Legion, is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by officers of the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps of the United States who "had aided in maintaining the honor,...

.

Personal life

Patterson married Maria Montresor Wainwright, daughter of U.S. Marine Corps Colonel

Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...

 Robert Dewer Wainwright. Several of their sons also became military officers, including Capt. Samuel Achmuty Wainwright Patterson, USN, who commanded 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...

 battleship USS Kentucky (BB-6)

USS Kentucky (BB-6)

USS Kentucky , a Kearsarge-class battleship, was launched on 24 March 1898 by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company of Newport News, Virginia, sponsored by Miss Christine Bradley, daughter of Governor William O'Connell Bradley of Kentucky, and commissioned on 15 May 1900, Captain Colby M...

 in 1905 (but did not command during the 1907-1909 world cruise).

Later life

Patterson retired from the U.S. Navy in 1883 and died April 9, 1889 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....

. He is buried in the Wainwright vault of Congressional Cemetery

Congressional Cemetery

The Congressional Cemetery is a historic cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the final resting place of thousands of individuals who helped form the nation and the city of Washington in the early 19th century. Many members of...

, Washington D.C., with his wife, father-in-law, and other Wainwright relatives. His father and mother, are also buried in Congressional Cemetery but under a separate Patterson monument.