Thomas Jefferson Page
Encyclopedia
Thomas Jefferson Page, a grandson of a signer of the Declaration of Independence
, was a United States Navy
officer who served in the Caribbean, carried out a hydrographical survey of the New York coastline, and worked under Lieutenant Matthew Fontaine Maury
at the Naval Observatory
in Washington.
Page commanded the in 1849 in the China Sea
and the Sea of Japan
. He battled Japanese pirates in the brig USS Dolphin at the mouth of the Yangtze River
at the request of the Qing Government. Due to personal reservations about the interests of western powers in China, Page did not accompany Admiral Perry's expedition to the Far East. Following this, Lieutenant Page commanded the USS Water Witch in which he explored the Argentine rivers Paraguay
and Bermejo
in the late 1850s, making the first detailed hydrological studies of the Rio de la Plata
.
On the secession of his state, Captain Page resigned from the United States Navy to take up the defense of Virginia
. During the ensuing Civil War
, he became a Colonel of Artillery and commanded batteries defending the Confederate capital, Richmond. In May 1863, Page was commissioned a Captain in the Confederate Navy and was sent to Europe to purchase vessels. In the last months of the Civil War
, he commanded the Confederate ironclad ram CSS Stonewall, perhaps the most powerful warship of the day. But by the time he could get his new ship from Europe to North American waters, the war was over. Captain Page sailed on to Havana, where he turned the ship over to the Spanish authorities.
After the war, Page returned to Argentina, where he engaged in politics and cattle farming; he assisted in developing the Argentine coastal defenses and enhancing the capacity and modernization of the Argentine Navy. He introduced numerous modern ideas into strategic and tactical naval formations of Argentina, making it a formidable force throughout the 19th century. He tried, unsuccessfully, to interest the Argentine Navy
in a torpedo ship developed by Swedish-American John Ericson, the inventor of the USS Monitor. Page was the secretary to the Argentine diplomatic mission to Italy.
Page and his family eventually moved to Rome where he died in 1899. He is buried in the Non-Catholic (Protestant) Cemetery there, where his impressive tomb still draws visitors. Descendants of his family, along with those of his younger cousins currently reside in Argentina, the European Union, the United States, Japan and China. Thomas Nelson Page
and William Nelson Page were his younger cousins. Thomas Nelson Page served as Ambassador to Italy during the administration of Woodrow Wilson, and made it his personal mission to visit the grave of his cousin.
As a summing up, the Captain has engraved on his tomb "Thomas Jefferson Page of Virginia; Captain, U.S.N. and C.S.N., Explorer, Christian Gentleman”.
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
, 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...
officer who served in the Caribbean, carried out a hydrographical survey of the New York coastline, and worked under Lieutenant Matthew Fontaine Maury
Matthew Fontaine Maury
Matthew Fontaine Maury , United States Navy was an American astronomer, historian, oceanographer, meteorologist, cartographer, author, geologist, and educator....
at the Naval Observatory
United States Naval Observatory
The United States Naval Observatory is one of the oldest scientific agencies in the United States, with a primary mission to produce Positioning, Navigation, and Timing for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of Defense...
in Washington.
Page commanded the in 1849 in the China Sea
China Sea
The China Seas consist of the seas of the Western Pacific Ocean, around China:* Bohai Sea* Yellow Sea* East China Sea* South China SeaOther uses*China Seas , a 1935 American adventure film...
and the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
. He battled Japanese pirates in the brig USS Dolphin at the mouth of the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
at the request of the Qing Government. Due to personal reservations about the interests of western powers in China, Page did not accompany Admiral Perry's expedition to the Far East. Following this, Lieutenant Page commanded the USS Water Witch in which he explored the Argentine rivers Paraguay
Paraguay River
The Paraguay River is a major river in south central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina...
and Bermejo
Bermejo River
The Bermejo River is a river in South America that flows from Bolivia to the Paraguay River in Argentina. The river is generally called Bermejo in spite of its different names along its way, but it also has its own Native American names; in Wichí it is called Teuco, and in Guaraní it is called Ypitá...
in the late 1850s, making the first detailed hydrological studies of the Rio de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
.
On the secession of his state, Captain Page resigned from the United States Navy to take up the defense of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. During the ensuing 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...
, he became a Colonel of Artillery and commanded batteries defending the Confederate capital, Richmond. In May 1863, Page was commissioned a Captain in the Confederate Navy and was sent to Europe to purchase vessels. In the last months of the 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...
, he commanded the Confederate ironclad ram CSS Stonewall, perhaps the most powerful warship of the day. But by the time he could get his new ship from Europe to North American waters, the war was over. Captain Page sailed on to Havana, where he turned the ship over to the Spanish authorities.
After the war, Page returned to Argentina, where he engaged in politics and cattle farming; he assisted in developing the Argentine coastal defenses and enhancing the capacity and modernization of the Argentine Navy. He introduced numerous modern ideas into strategic and tactical naval formations of Argentina, making it a formidable force throughout the 19th century. He tried, unsuccessfully, to interest the Argentine Navy
Argentine Navy
The Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force....
in a torpedo ship developed by Swedish-American John Ericson, the inventor of the USS Monitor. Page was the secretary to the Argentine diplomatic mission to Italy.
Page and his family eventually moved to Rome where he died in 1899. He is buried in the Non-Catholic (Protestant) Cemetery there, where his impressive tomb still draws visitors. Descendants of his family, along with those of his younger cousins currently reside in Argentina, the European Union, the United States, Japan and China. Thomas Nelson Page
Thomas Nelson Page
Thomas Nelson Page was a lawyer and American writer. He also served as the U.S. ambassador to Italy during the administration of President Woodrow Wilson, including the important period of World War I.-Biography:...
and William Nelson Page were his younger cousins. Thomas Nelson Page served as Ambassador to Italy during the administration of Woodrow Wilson, and made it his personal mission to visit the grave of his cousin.
As a summing up, the Captain has engraved on his tomb "Thomas Jefferson Page of Virginia; Captain, U.S.N. and C.S.N., Explorer, Christian Gentleman”.