{{redirect|Tingey|other people with that name|Tingey (surname)|other U.S. Naval officers in the Tingey/Craven family|Thomas Tingey Craven (disambiguation){{!}}Thomas Tingey Craven}} {{short description|English commodore (1750–1829)}} {{Use American English|date=December 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}} {{Infobox person |name = Thomas Tingey |image = Thomas Tingey.jpg |image_size = |caption = Commodore Tingey in uniform |birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1750|9|11}} |birth_place = [[London|London, England]] |death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1829|2|23|1750|9|11}} |death_place = [[Washington, D.C.]], US |death_cause = |resting_place = [[Congressional Cemetery]] |resting_place_coordinates = |known_for = |education = |occupation = |awards = |title = |boards = |spouse = |children = |parents = |relatives = |signature = |website = |footnotes = }} '''Thomas Tingey''' (11 September 1750 – 23 February 1829) was a [[Commodore (rank)|commodore]] of the [[United States Navy]]. Originally serving in the [[Royal Navy|British Royal Navy]], he later served in the [[Continental Navy]] and with distinction during the [[Quasi-War]]. Tingey served as the first commandant of the [[Washington Navy Yard|Navy Yard]] until his death.
==Biography== ===Early life=== Tingey was born in [[London]] on 11 September 1750. As a youth, he served in the British Royal Navy as a [[midshipman]] aboard {{HMS|Panther}} and later in July 1771 commanded a [[blockhouse]] at [[Chateaux Bay]] on the [[Labrador]] coast. He later commanded merchant vessels in the [[West Indies]] before coming to the colonies and investing in the [[East India Company]]. According to unverified tradition, Tingey served in the [[Continental Navy]] during the [[American War for Independence]].<ref>Brown, Gordon S. ''The Captain Who Burned His Ships: Captain Thomas Tingey, USN, 1750–1829'' Naval Institute Press: Annapolis (2011), pp. 3–10.</ref>
===Navy career=== In September 1798 Tingey was commissioned a [[Captain (naval)|captain]] in the United States Navy and distinguished himself in the Quasi War with [[France]], as commander of the [[man-of-war]] {{USS|Ganges|1794|2}}. During that time, Tingey commanded a [[Squadron (naval)|squadron]] which cruised the waters of the [[Windward Passage]] between [[Hispaniola]] and [[Cuba]] to protect American shipping from French [[privateer]]s. Tingey commanded ''Ganges'' as she took four [[Prize law|prizes]] and is known for his bloodless encounter with the British [[frigate]] {{HMS|Surprise|1794|6}}. He was discharged from the Navy following the conclusion of the Quasi War in 1802.
===Washington Navy Yard=== In January 1800, Tingey was appointed to supervise construction of the new [[Washington Navy Yard]] at [[Washington, D.C.]] He was well connected in Washington D.C. political circles and had close relations with members of [[Thomas Jefferson]] and [[James Madison]]'s cabinet. In a letter dated 7 April, 1803 the Secretary of the Navy accepted his resignation as Superintendent of the Yard, Lt. John Cassin was ordered to take command.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://ibiblio.org/anrs/docs/E/E3/nd_barbarywars_v02p03.pdf |title=Naval Documents related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers Volume II Part 3 of 3 January 1802 through August 1803 |pages=388-389 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |via=Ibiblio |access-date=15 November 2024}}</ref> On 23 November 1804, he was again commissioned a captain in the Navy and made Commandant of the Washington Navy Yard and naval agent, posts he held until his death.
During his long tenure at WNY, Tingey was a strong advocate for enslaved labor.<ref>Brown, p.75</ref> The 1808 Navy Yard muster and payroll's reflected, the practice of placing the enslaved on the Navy Yard payroll was both widespread and profitable. Tingey and other naval officers were able to supplement their pay by drawing the wages and rations of their enslaved "servants"who appeared on the Navy payrolls as "Ordinary Seaman'.In his letter to Secretary of the Navy, Robert Smith, 19 May 1808, Tingey stated there was a total of 194 employees in the Washington Navy Yard and "in ordinary"; with 58 enslaved blacks, or 29.9% of the workforce. Ten of these enslaved workers were leased to the Navy by naval officers including Seamen Abram Lynson and Charles Lancaster, (see thumbnail) the Commodore's enslaved "servants".<ref>Sharp, John G.M., ''African Americans, Enslaved & Free, at Washington Navy Yard,'' http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/portsmouth/shipyard/sharptoc/wny2.html</ref> Commodore Tingey, later manumitted the 29 year old Lynson on 21 July 1809.<ref>Rodgers, Helen Hoban, ''Freedom and Slavery Documents in the District of Columbia, ''Vol. 2, 1806 -1816 (Gateway Press, Baltimore, 2008,)p.105</ref><ref>U.S., Registers of Patients at Naval Hospitals, 1812-1934 for Charles Lancaster, 1815, patient #38,"Commodore Tingey's Servant", Vol 45: 1812-1830; 1838-1840, Record Group 52: Records of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, 1812–1975, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.</ref> In his conclusion Tingey, cited the custom of the service, and implored Robert Smith to reconsider this ban.<ref>Brown, pp.74-75</ref>[[File:Thomas Tingey, 25 May 1808 to Robert Smith requesting "indulgence" for WNY Naval Officers slaveholders.jpg|thumb|Thomas Tingey, 26 May 1808 to Robert Smith requesting "indulgence" for WNY Naval Officers slaveholders]]Smith would not reconsider. Smith's reluctance to grant Tingey's request, stemmed in part, from the recent allegations made by Naval Purser, Samuel Hanson, against both Tingey and his deputy [[John Cassin (naval officer)]].Hanson charged both officers had financially profited by placing enslaved laborers belonging to their families and friends on shipyard payrolls.<ref>Navy Court Martial Records and Court of Inquiry, 1799-1867, re Thomas Tingey, 10 Dec 1808, Volume 2, Page 21, Case number 55, Case Range, 30-74, Year Range 16 Oct 1805 to 16 Jan 1810, Roll 0004, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington DC.</ref> Hanson a friend of Jefferson, had also written to the president, alerting him to the charges.<ref>Samuel Hanson to Thomas Jefferson, 20 October 1808, retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/mtjbib019199/</ref> "Smith, a former lawyer, was a close reader and neither he nor Jefferson wanted the publicly of an inquiry...They need not have worried for none of the local newspapers carried any mention of the proposed Inquiry nor are there any notations in the file that Court of Inquiry ever met."<ref>Sharp, John G.M., ''Washington Navy Yard Purser, Samuel Hanson USN, brings charges against Captain Thomas Tingey and Master Commandant John Cassin 10 Dec 1808'' http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/portsmouth/shipyard/sharptoc/1808.html </ref>
The Navy Yard though in 1809 returned to employing enslaved labor with Tingey's request to Secretary Smith to, "...direct the employment in the Ordinary of good Slaves, belonging to this neighborhood - and the number not to exceed twenty at present."<ref>Tingey to Smith, 12 July 1809, p.1, Letters Received from Captains ("Captains Letters"), Volume 16, Letter number 19, 1 July 1809 - 30 September 1809, RG 260, Roll, 0016, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.</ref> On 11 May 1815, an alarmed Board of Navy Commissioners, again wrote Tingey, about WNY employment practices <blockquote> "Particularly pressure in the employment of characters unsuited for the public service – maimed & unmanageable slaves for the accommodation of distressed widows & orphans & indigent families - apprentices for the accommodation of their masters – & old men & children for the benefit of their families & parents. These practices must cease."</blockquote><ref>Board of Navy Commissioners, John Rodgers to Tingey, May 11, 1815, Record Group, E307 v. 1 National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C.</ref><ref>Brown, pp. 138.</ref> [[File:Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin, Thomas Tingey, 1806, NGA 50840.jpg|thumb|1806 portrait by Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin|left]] As naval agent in accordance with the naval regulations of the era, Commodore Tingey received 1% of his Washington Navy Yard disbursements as commission. His involvement in procurement and contracting issues soon gave rise to a perception of irregular purchase and an inquiry into these charges on 10 December 1810 [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[Robert Smith (Cabinet member)|Robert Smith]] establishing inquiry into the Commodore's conduct. The inquiry failed to find any substantive violations.<ref>Brown, pp. 62–68.</ref>
During Tingey's tenure as commandant, Washington Navy Yard personnel were frequently used to design and test new weapons. Secretary Smith requested Tingey on 6 February and 17 August 1808 arrange a test of Doctor Wallace's invention and [[Robert Fulton]]'s torpedo both projects which required yard employees and resources.<ref>Brown, pp. 106–107.</ref>
In August 1814, as the British advanced on Washington, the [[Secretary of the Navy]] ordered Tingey to set fire to the yard. He wrote to his daughter under date of 17 September 1814, "I was the last officer who quitted the city after the enemy had possession of it, having fully performed all orders received, in which was included that myself retiring, and not to fall into their possession. I was also the first who returned and the only one who ventured in on the day on which they were peaceably masters of it."<ref>{{cite web |last=Wick |first=Joshua L. |title=Thomas Tingey's Lasting Legacy: The Washington Navy Yard |access-date=23 January 2015 |url=https://www.usni.org/naval-history-blog/9858}}</ref> Tingey resumed his duties as commandant after the withdrawal of the British forces.
Throughout his twenty-nine year tenure as Washington Navy Yard Commandant, Tingey, exercised his considerable diplomatic acumen in reconciling the often conflicting demands placed upon him. As Yard Commandant, his correspondence reflects his strong desire to achieve balance between the requirements of his political superiors, and the needs and sometimes demands of his employees. The Secretary of the Navy on occasion placed heavy burdens on the Commodore such as directing that Naval Constructors like [[Josiah Fox]] and [[William Doughty (naval architect)|William Doughty]] be allowed to exercise work direction and hiring authority over Yard employees.<ref>Brown, pp. 141–142.</ref>
===Death and burial=== Tingey died on 23 February 1829. He was buried with military honors in the [[Congressional Cemetery]] in Washington, D.C.
===Societies===
During the 1820s, Tingey was a member of the prestigious society, [[Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences]], who counted among their members former presidents [[Andrew Jackson]] and [[John Quincy Adams]] and many prominent men of the day, including well-known representatives of the military, government service, medical and other professions.<ref name="rathbun">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MY-5AAAAIAAJ&q=%22columbian+institute%22&pg=PA118 |title=The Columbian institute for the promotion of arts and sciences: A Washington Society of 1816–1838. |first=Richard |last=Rathbun |access-date=20 June 2010|year=1904 |publisher=Bulletin of the United States National Museum, 18 October 1917}}</ref> On 1 March 1820, Tingey invited naval and marine officers in the District of Columbia to consider a proposal for a Fraternal Society for the relief of indigent officers, their widows and children. As a consequence the Naval Fraternal Association was founded that same year, for families of deceased officers. The association subsequently applied for Congressional incorporation in 1823 but Congress denied their request for fear of the precedent. The association then established a national organization under a District charter.<ref>Tingey to Board of Navy Commissioners, 1 March 1820, National Archives, RG 45 E314, vol. 75</ref>
===Personal life===
His daughter Hannah married Tunis Craven,<ref>{{cite web |title=Tingey, (Commodore) Thomas, 1750–1829. |work=Whittlesey-Whittlesey Genealogy |url=http://www.whittlesey-whittelseygenealogy.com/getperson.php?personID=I3006&tree=JWhittelseyProgeny}}</ref> a government clerk and later naval purser. Two of her sons, [[Tunis Craven|Tunis]] and [[Thomas Tingey Craven (Rear Admiral)|Thomas Tingey]] rose to prominence in the [[Union Navy]] during the [[American Civil War]]. Another daughter, Margaret, married U.S. Representative [[Joseph F. Wingate]] of Maine. Tingey was generally well liked by his large civilian workforce. Washington Navy Yard enslaved worker [[Michael Shiner]] noted Tingey's passing with this tribute, "Died in Command of the Washington navy yard Comerder thomas tinsy on the 23 day of February 1829 on Monday and snow on the ground and a fine officer he was and a gentleman".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Diary of Michael Shiner Relating to the History of the Washington Navy Yard 1813–1869 |editor-last=Sharp |editor-first=John G. |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/d/diary-of-michael-shiner/1813-1829.html}}</ref>
===Slaveholder===
The 1810 U.S. Census for the District of Columbia enumerated Thomas Tingey as having six enslaved individuals registered in his household.<ref>Brown, p.86.</ref> As a slaveholder Commodore Tingey could be "rough and even brutal;" in 1828 diarist Michael Shiner wrote, "The same time they wher a lad comerder tinsay [Commodore Tingey] foot man had been cutting some of his shines at the house on the 4 and they taking him down to the rigging loft that it give him a starting.” <ref>''The Diary of Michael Shiner, Relating to the History of the Washington Navy Yard 1813-1869,''Transcribed with Introduction and Notes by John G. Sharp (2007 and 2015), p.27, EndNote 25, Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/d/diary-of-michael-shiner/1813-1829.html</ref> A "starting", [[flagellation]], is a beating on the bare back with a thick rope end.
Tingey frequently took the lead in returning escaped slaves to slavery.[[File:$ 100 reward for Henry Caroll, Mercantile Advertiser, 2 May 1818,p.2.jpg|thumb|$100 reward for Henry Caroll, ''Mercantile Advertiser'' (New York, New York), 2 May 1818, p.2, which also recounts his previous bid for freedom]] On 4 January 1820 the ''Boston Patriot and Daily Advertiser'', reported that Commodore Thomas Tingey had secured his enslaved laborer John Howard, and that Tingey's agent was to return him to the District of Columbia.<ref>''Boston Patriot and Daily Advertiser'' (Boston, Massachusetts), 19 January 1820, p.2</ref> On 16 August 1821 Tingey took out a notice for his enslaved cook and housekeeper, Sukey Dean, stating "But whosoever will secure her in jail or otherwise of the three days advertisement in the city newspapers sells her at public venue for cash shall have on fourth of what she sells for in full cash less any charges."<ref>''Daily National Intelligencer'',(Washington, D.C.), p.3</ref> In 1822, Tingey wrote to a colleague that Sukey Dean was seeking employment as a free woman. Tingey offered details on how to capture the enslaved woman, and instructions on how to sell her immediately upon capture.<ref>Thomas Tingey to John H. Sherburne, January 26, 1822, Thomas Tingey letters sent and accounts, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.</ref>
==Namesake and honors== Three ships of the U.S. Navy were named {{USS|Tingey}} for him, as well as [[Tingey House]] and Tingey Gate at the Washington Navy Yard, and Tingey Street SE, which leads to the gate, in Washington, D.C.
== See also == * ''[[United States v. Tingey]]'', 30 U.S. 115 (1831) – a [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] case in which Tingey was a party, though he died before the decision
==Citations== {{Reflist|30em}}
==Sources== * {{cite book |last=Brown |first=Gordon S. |title=The Captain Who Burned His Ships: Captain Thomas Tingey, USN, 1750–1829 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis |year=2011}}
==External links== * {{commons category-inline}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20040329021752/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/t6/tingey-iii.htm Biography of Thomas Tingey]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tingey, Thomas}} [[Category:United States Navy officers]] [[Category:United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812]] [[Category:American military personnel of the Quasi-War]] [[Category:American slave owners]] [[Category:British emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies]] [[Category:Burials at the Congressional Cemetery]] [[Category:1750 births]] [[Category:1829 deaths]]