Uriel Sebree

{{short description|United States Navy career officer (1848–1922)}} {{Infobox military person | honorific_prefix = Commandant | name = Uriel Sebree | image = Uriel Sebree LCCN2014683835 (retouched).jpg | image_size = 225px | caption = Rear Admiral Uriel Sebree | birth_date = {{birth date|1848|2|20}} | birth_place = [[Fayette, Missouri]], U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1922|8|6|1848|2|20}} | death_place = [[Coronado, California]], U.S. | burial_place = | burial_label = Place of burial | relations = [[Frank P. Sebree]] (brother) | awards = | nickname = | allegiance = United States | branch = {{navy|United States}} | branch_label = Branch | service_years = 1863–1910 | rank = [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear admiral]] | unit = | commands = [[USC&GS Silliman|USC&GS ''Silliman'']] [[USC&GS Thomas R. Gedney|USC&GS ''Thomas R. Gedney'']] {{USS|Pinta|1864|6}} {{USS|Wheeling|PG-14}} {{USS|Thetis|1881|6}} {{USS|Abarenda|AC-13}} {{USS|Wisconsin|BB-9}} [[United States Naval Station Tutuila|U.S. Naval Station Tutuila]] Pathfinder Squadron 2nd Division, U.S. Pacific Fleet [[United States Pacific Fleet]] | battles = | module = {{infobox officeholder | embed=yes | office = [[List of governors of American Samoa|Naval administrator of American Samoa]] | term_start = November 27, 1901 | term_end = December 16, 1902 | predecessor = [[Benjamin Franklin Tilley]] | successor = [[Henry Minett]] }} }}

'''Uriel Sebree''' (February 20, 1848 – August 6, 1922) was a career officer in the [[United States Navy]]. He entered the [[United States Naval Academy|Naval Academy]] during the [[United States Civil War|Civil War]] and served until 1910, retiring as a [[rear admiral]]. He is best remembered for his two expeditions into the [[Arctic]] and for serving as acting [[governor of American Samoa]]. He was also commander-in-chief of the [[United States Pacific Fleet|Pacific Fleet]].

After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1867, Sebree was posted to a number of vessels before being assigned to a rescue mission to find the remaining crew of the missing [[Polaris expedition|''Polaris'' expedition]] in the Navy's first mission to the Arctic. This attempt was only a partial success—the ''Polaris'' crew was rescued by a British ship rather than the US Navy—but this led to Sebree's selection eleven years later for a second expedition to the Arctic. That mission to rescue [[Adolphus Greely]] and the survivors of the Lady Franklin Bay expedition was a success. Sebree was subsequently appointed as the second acting [[governor of American Samoa]]. He served in this position for only a year before returning to the United States. In 1907, he was promoted to rear admiral and given command of the Pathfinder Expedition around the South American coast before being appointed commander of the 2nd Division of the Pacific Fleet and then commander-in-chief of the entire fleet. He retired in 1910 and died in [[Coronado, California]], in 1922. Two geographical features in [[Alaska]]—[[Sebree Peak]] and [[Sebree Island]]—are named for Admiral Sebree.

==Early life and career== Uriel Sebree was born in [[Fayette, Missouri]], on February 20, 1848,<ref name="living-officers">{{cite book|last=Hamersly |first=Lewis Randolph |title=The Records of Living Officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps |url=https://archive.org/details/recordslivingof00hamegoog |edition=6th |year=1898 |publisher=L. R. Hamersly |location=New York}}</ref> to Judge John Sebree, called "one of the prominent citizens of old Howard County" by the ''Jefferson County Tribune'',<ref name="family">{{cite news|title=Missourians Meet in Africa|work=The Atlanta Constitution|page=7|date=1898-04-23}} (reprinted from the ''Jefferson County Tribune'')</ref> and his wife. Uriel was the first of two sons.<ref name="family" /> His brother, [[Frank P. Sebree|Frank Payne Sebree]], became a [[lawyer]]. Uriel entered the [[United States Naval Academy]] on July 23, 1863, during the [[American Civil War]]. After his graduation in 1867, his first assignment was on board {{USS|Canandaigua|1862|6}}.<ref name="living-officers" /> Over the next few years Sebree won repeated promotion: to [[Ensign (rank)|ensign]] in 1868, [[master (naval)|master]] in 1870, and [[Lieutenant (navy)|lieutenant]] in 1871. In 1873 he transferred to the [[ironclad]] {{USS|Dictator|1863|6}}.<ref name="living-officers" />

One episode in Sebree's early military history which influenced his later career was his participation in the second ''Polaris'' rescue mission. The [[Polaris expedition|''Polaris'' expedition]] was an 1871 exploration of the Arctic that had aimed to reach the [[North Pole]].<ref name=Blake>{{cite book|title=Arctic Experience|last=Blake|first=E. Vale|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_6NQBAAAAYAAJ |year=1874 |publisher=Harper & Brothers |location=New York}}</ref>{{rp|page=100}} The expedition was troubled from the start: its leader, [[Charles Francis Hall]], died in mysterious circumstances before the end of their first winter.<ref name=Blake/>{{rp|pages=162–165}} The following year, the ''Polaris'' remained trapped in ice and unable to return home. During a violent storm, the crew was separated into two groups: a small group of explorers was stranded on the now-crippled ''Polaris'' and the remainder were marooned on an [[Drift ice|ice floe]].<ref name=Blake/>{{rp|page=198}} These latter 19 survivors were discovered by chance and rescued by the civilian [[whaler]] {{USS|Tigress|1871|6}}.<ref name=Blake/>{{rp|pages=326–331}} Because of the ''Tigress'''s success, the Navy chartered the ship, temporarily rechristened her USS ''Tigress'', and used her to launch a rescue attempt to locate the remainder of the crew. For this attempt the ship would be commanded by a group of eight navy officers, led by Captain [[James Augustin Greer|James A. Greer]], although much of the original civilian crew was retained. Lieutenant Sebree was one of the officers chosen for the mission.<ref name="tigress-departure">{{cite news |title=Departure of the Tigress |newspaper=The New York Times |page=8 |date=1873-07-15}}</ref>

This rescue mission was the first official United States military expedition to the Arctic; previous expeditions, including that of the ''Polaris'' itself, had been led by civilians.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Another Arctic Expedition Begun|magazine=Scientific American|volume=29|issue=5|page=64|date=1973-08-02}}</ref> The ''Tigress'' sailed from [[New York, New York|New York]] on July 14, 1873,<ref name="tigress-departure"/> traveling first to [[St. John's, Newfoundland]] and then to [[Godhavn]] and [[Upernavik]] in [[Greenland]] before following the coast further north. The crew searched [[North Star Bay]], [[Northumberland Island]], and [[Hartstene Bay]] before discovering the first sign of the ''Polaris'' crew: a camp on [[Littleton Island (Arctic)|Littleton Island]] where they had wintered, now occupied by [[Inuit]]. The missing men, the rescuers were told, had constructed makeshift boats salvaged from their destroyed ship and traveled south. Acting on this clue, the ''Tigress'' searched the [[Baffin Island]] coast to [[Cumberland Sound]], and then the Greenland coast from [[Ivigtut]] to [[Fiskenæsset]] and the [[Davis Strait]], before returning to St. John's for fuel. Once there, they learned that the ''Polaris'' survivors had been rescued by a [[United Kingdom|British]] ship and that their search was over.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dieck|first=Herman |title=The Marvellous Wonders of the Polar World |publisher=National Publishing Company|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_4jUNAAAAIAAJ|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_4jUNAAAAIAAJ/page/n123 109]–112|year=1885}}</ref> After returning to New York the ''Tigress'' was transferred back to civilian use.<ref>{{cite DANFS |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/tigress-iii.html |title=Tigress |access-date=2015-06-09}}</ref> {{Infobox |name = |title = Navy Career |image = |caption = |headerstyle = background:#ccf; |labelstyle = background:#ddf; |header1 = Midshipman – 1867 |label2 = 1867–69 |data2 = {{USS|Canandaigua|1862|6}} |header3 = Ensign – 1868 |header4 = Master – 1870 |header5 = Lieutenant – 1871 |label6 = 1872 |data6 = {{USS|Saranac|1848|6}}<ref>{{cite news|title=The "Saranac"|url=http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DAC18721124.2.11|access-date=10 June 2015|work=Daily Alta California|volume=XXIV|issue=8277|date=November 24, 1872}}</ref> |label7 = 1873 |data7 = {{USS|Minnesota|1855|6}} {{USS|Dictator|1863|6}} {{USS|Tigress|1871|6}} |label8 = 1873–76 |data8 = {{USS|Franklin|1864|6}} |label9 = 1878 |data9 = [[USC&GS A. D. Bache (1871)|USC&GS ''A. D. Bache'']] |label10 = 1879 |data10 = '''[[USC&GS Silliman|USC&GS ''Silliman'']]''' |label11 = 1879–81 |data11 = '''[[USC&GS Thomas R. Gedney|USC&GS ''Thomas R. Gedney'']]''' |label12 = 1882 |data12 = {{USS|Brooklyn|1858|6}} |label13 = 1883 |data13 = '''{{USS|Pinta|1864|6}}''' |label14 = 1884 |data14 = {{USS|Powhatan|1850|6}} |label15 = 1884 |data15 = {{USS|Thetis|1881|6}} |label16 = 1884–86 |data16 = [[United States Naval Academy]] |label17 = 1886–89 |data17 = [[United States Lighthouse Board|U.S. Lighthouse Board]] Inspector, 13th District |label18 = 1889–92 |data18 = {{USS|Baltimore|C-3|6}} |header19 = Lieutenant Commander – 1889 |label20 = 1892–93 |data20 = 3rd Lighthouse District |label21 = 1893–96 |data21 = United States Naval Academy |label22 = 1896–98 |data22 = '''{{USS|Wheeling|PG-14}}''' |header23 = Commander – 1897 |label24 = 1898–1901 |data24 = U.S. Lighthouse Board Inspector, 12th District |header25 = Captain – 1901 |label26 = 1901–02 |data26 = '''{{USS|Abarenda|AC-13}}''' '''[[United States Naval Station Tutuila|U.S. Naval Station Tutuila]]''' |label27 = 1902 |data27 = '''USS ''Wheeling''''' |label28 = 1903–04 |data28 = '''{{USS|Wisconsin|BB-9}}''' |label29 = 1904–07 |data29 = [[Naval War College]] U.S. Lighthouse Board |header30 = Rear Admiral – 1907 |label31 = 1907–08 |data31 = '''Pathfinder Squadron''' |label32 = 1908–09 |data32 = '''[[United States Pacific Fleet]], 2nd Division''' |label33 = 1909–10 |data33 = '''United States Pacific Fleet''' |belowstyle = background:#ddf; |below = }}After this expedition, Sebree was assigned to the [[screw frigate]] {{USS|Franklin|1864|6}} where he remained for three years.<ref name="living-officers" /> In 1878, he was assigned to work with the [[United States Coast Survey]] on board the [[USC&GS A. D. Bache (1871)|''A. D. Bache'']]. The following year he was given his first two commands: the [[USC&GS Silliman|''Silliman'']] and then the [[USC&GS Thomas R. Gedney|''Thomas R. Gedney'']], both ships of the United States Coast Survey. He remained on the latter ship for nearly three years before being assigned to {{USS|Brooklyn|1858|6}} in 1882.<ref name="living-officers" /> In 1883, he was given his first command of a Navy ship, {{USS|Pinta|1864|6}}, with orders to sail to [[Alaska]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Pinta Ordered to Sea |newspaper=Washington Post |page=4 |date=1883-06-14}}</ref>

===Court martial=== On October 3, 1883, prior to leaving for Alaska, the ''Pinta'' collided with the civilian [[brig]] ''Tally Ho'' off the coast of [[Nantucket]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Inquiring Into a Collision |newspaper=The New York Times |page=8 |date=1883-10-27}}</ref> Sebree was not held directly responsible for the collision, as he was below deck at the time, but it was alleged that he did not do enough to determine whether the other ship was damaged before sailing away.<ref>{{cite news |title=Two Naval Officers Reprimanded |newspaper=The New York Times |page=3 |date=1883-12-28}}</ref> Charges were brought against him in November and in December he was found guilty of "culpable negligence and inefficiency in the performance of his duty".<ref>{{cite news |title=Court-Martial Sentences and Orders to Officers |newspaper=The New York Times |page=3 |date=1883-12-15}}</ref> He was sentenced to be suspended from rank and duty for three years with an official reprimand from the [[Secretary of the Navy]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Army and Navy Matters |newspaper=The New York Times |page=3 |date=1883-11-17}}</ref> Believing the sentence to be too harsh, Secretary [[William E. Chandler]] reduced it to a public reprimand only.<ref>{{cite news|title=Army and Navy News |newspaper=The New York Times |page=3 |date=1883-12-22}}</ref> Sebree was subsequently transferred to {{USS|Powhatan|1850|6}}, although not as the ship's commanding officer.<ref name="living-officers" />

===Greely Relief Expedition=== One month after joining the ''Powhatan'', Sebree was transferred again, this time to serve as the [[executive officer]] of {{USS|Thetis|1881|6}} for another trip into the Arctic.<ref name="greely relief">{{cite book|last=Schley |first=Winfield Scott |author-link=Winfield Scott Schley |author2=Soley, J. R. |title=The Rescue of Greely |url=https://archive.org/details/rescuegreely00solegoog |year=1885 |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |location=New York}}</ref>{{rp|page=123}} In 1881, Army Lieutenant [[Adolphus Greely]] had left on an expedition to establish a base at [[Lady Franklin Bay]] on northern [[Ellesmere Island]] (now part of the [[Canada|Canadian]] territory of [[Nunavut]]). Greely was left with provisions for three years but was to expect supply ships in 1882 and 1883.<ref name="greely relief"/>{{rp|page=22}} Both attempts to resupply the expedition failed and, with Greely's provisions running low, the Navy prepared an expedition in early 1884 to attempt a resupply or rescue. The expedition was led by Captain [[Winfield Scott Schley]] and consisted of lead ship USS ''Thetis'' (with Sebree as the executive officer and navigator), {{USS|Bear}}, and the borrowed [[HMS Alert (1856)|HMS ''Alert'']]. Many of the officers, including Sebree, were selected for their previous Arctic experience.<ref name="greely relief"/>{{rp|pages=118–125}} The ''Thetis'' left New York on May 1, 1884, and the group slowly progressed through the ice of [[Melville Bay]], chasing clues and records left by the expedition, to finally discover the survivors of Greely's camp off [[Cape Sabine]] on June 22, 1885. Of the 25 members of the expedition, only 6 survived (one more died on the return journey).<ref name="greely relief"/>{{rp|page=223}} The expedition sailed first for [[Upernavik, Greenland]], arriving on July 2, 1884, and then made its way back to the United States, landing at [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]], on August 1, 1884. Schley later reported that a delay of just two more days would have been fatal to the remaining six members of the expedition.<ref name="greely relief"/>{{rp|pages=257–272}} Sebree and the other members of the relief expedition gained fame from the voyage. Even ten years later, in 1895, a report by ''The New York Times'' celebrating the 50th anniversary of the United States Naval Academy listed Sebree as one of the most "famous" graduates, despite his relatively low rank.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fifty Years of the Nation's Naval Academy |newspaper=The New York Times |page=20 |date=1895-10-06}}</ref>

After his return from the expedition Sebree taught at the Naval Academy for two years before being transferred to the 13th Lighthouse District, to serve as the [[lighthouse]] inspector for [[Oregon]] and [[Washington Territory]]. While stationed there he was promoted to [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|lieutenant commander]] in March 1889.<ref name="living-officers"/><ref>{{cite journal|title=Navy Gazette|journal=Army and Navy Journal|date=July 20, 1889|page=965|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dfs-AQAAMAAJ|access-date=9 June 2015}}</ref>

===Valparaíso riots=== {{main article|Baltimore crisis}} In September 1889 he was made the [[executive officer]] of {{USS|Baltimore|C-3|6}},<ref>{{cite journal|title=Navy Gazette|journal=Army and Navy Journal|date=September 21, 1889|page=65|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bvs-AQAAMAAJ|access-date=9 June 2015}}</ref> again under Captain Schley. Both men were still serving aboard the ''Baltimore'' when its sailors were attacked in [[Valparaiso, Chile]] in October 1891, and gave testimony toward the events during the later investigation.<ref>{{cite news|title=Grave Difficulties: the Chilean Situation has an Ugly Aspect|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84025968/1892-01-14/ed-1/seq-1/|access-date=9 June 2015|work=Los Angeles Herald|date=January 14, 1892|location=Los Angeles, California|page=1}}</ref>

From September 1892 to July 1893, Sebree served as assistant to the inspector of the 3rd [[United States Lighthouse Board|Lighthouse District]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Navy Gazette|journal=Army and Navy Journal|date=September 3, 1892|page=23|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sf8-AQAAMAAJ|access-date=9 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Navy Gazette|journal=Army and Navy Journal|date=July 1, 1893|page=747|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sf8-AQAAMAAJ|access-date=9 June 2015}}</ref>

Sebree taught at the Academy from 1893 to 1896.<ref name="living-officers"/> At the end of his time there, he was briefly given command of {{USS|Wheeling|PG-14}} before being put in command of the ''Thetis'', which was doing survey work off the coast of [[California]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Thetis Arrives |work=Los Angeles Times |page=29 |date=1896-10-04}}</ref> In 1897 he was promoted to [[commander]].<ref>{{cite news |title=North Carolina District Judge Named |newspaper=Washington Post |page=4 |date=1897-02-26}}</ref> During the [[Spanish–American War]], Sebree again commanded the ''Wheeling'' in the Pacific for the duration of the war.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chadwick |first=French Ensor |title=The Relations of the United States and Spain: The Spanish–American War |publisher=C. Scribner's Sons |url=https://archive.org/details/relationsunited00chadgoog |page=[https://archive.org/details/relationsunited00chadgoog/page/n418 398] |year=1911}}</ref> His assignment was to patrol the coast of Alaska and the [[Aleutian Islands]], far from both the Caribbean and Pacific theaters of the war, and he saw no significant action.<ref>{{cite DANFS|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/w/wheeling-i.html |title=U.S.S. Wheeling, Gunboat No. 14 |access-date=2015-06-09}}</ref> After the war, he was transferred to the 12th Lighthouse District as an inspector.<ref>{{cite news |title=The United Service |newspaper=The New York Times |page=4 |date=1898-10-21}}</ref>

==American Samoa== On October 9, 1901, Sebree was promoted to [[captain (United States)|captain]] and received orders to travel to [[American Samoa]] to take command of {{USS|Abarenda|AC-13}} and to be [[commandant]] of the [[United States Naval Station Tutuila]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The United Service |newspaper=The New York Times |page=5 |date=1901-10-09}}</ref> Three days later, he was promoted to [[captain (United States)|captain]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Orders to Naval Officers |newspaper=Washington Post |page=3 |date=1901-12-25}}</ref> At this time the commandant of the naval station was considered the acting governor of the territory as Congress had not yet formalized the U.S. Navy's role there. Sebree was the replacement for Commandant [[Benjamin Franklin Tilley]], who had recently had charges brought against him for immorality and drunkenness. While Sebree was in transit to the islands, Tilley was tried and acquitted of the charges against him but the decision to replace him was not changed.<ref name="Amerika Samoa">{{cite book|last=Gray |first=J. A. C. |title=Amerika Samoa: History Of American Samoa And Its United States Naval Administration |year=1960 |publisher=United States Naval Institute |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-0-87021-074-7}}</ref>{{rp|page=139}} Captain Sebree arrived in Samoa and took up his new post on November 27, 1901.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sebree Takes Up Reigns of Government |work=Los Angeles Times |page=A4 |date=1901-12-17}}</ref>

During his administration, Sebree made numerous requests to both Washington and the U.S. Navy that went unanswered. He suggested that the U.S. Congress appoint a committee to visit the islands to create a development plan for the territory, but received no response. Perceived as overly critical by the U.S. Navy, he was relieved of the captaincy of the [[USS Abarenda]] to focus solely on his role as Governor. His request for the publicization of his designation as Governor was also ignored. Additionally, he left office without receiving satisfactory responses to his other recommendations, such as establishing a public school system and hiring doctors.<ref>Sunia, Fofō Iosefa Fiti (2001). ''Puputoa: Host of Heroes – A record of the history makers in the First Century of American Samoa, 1900–2000''. Suva, Fiji: Oceania Printers. Page 128. ISBN 9829036022.</ref>

During his administration, Sebree's government initiated the prohibition of various Samoan traditions deemed "generally considered wrong by civilized nations." Additionally, his administration intervened in conflicts over chiefly titles, typically endorsing candidates who were more cooperative. In a 1902 statement, Governor Sebree remarked, “the natives are naturally very suspicious of white men… They are, in many ways, like children… the Samoan is naturally lazy.”<ref>Chapell, David A. (2000). "The Forgotten Mau: Anti-Navy Protest in American Samoa, 1920–1935". [[Pacific Historical Review]]. 69 (2): Pages 224 and 228-229. ISSN 0030-8684.</ref>

===Acting governor=== Unlike Tilley, who had been the first acting governor of the territory, Sebree was very concerned about his legal status. Officially, he was only commandant of the naval station then under construction, although the deed of cession of the territory acknowledged his theoretical authority to govern the people. He was concerned that lawsuits could be brought against him or future acting governors until the situation was clarified and made official by the United States government.<ref name="Amerika Samoa"/>{{rp|pages=150–153}} To this end, he made a recommendation to the [[United States Congress]] to assemble a panel to consider the territory's status and requested that an Assistant Secretary of the Navy come to the territory to meet with him. Both requests were refused.<ref name="Amerika Samoa"/>{{rp|pages=150–153}} A further example of this ambiguity came in March 1902, when Sebree received orders to give up command of the ''Abarenda'' to give him additional time as commandant and "governor".<ref>{{cite news |title=The United Service |newspaper=The New York Times |page=3 |date=1902-03-01}}</ref> To these orders, he responded that he still had not been officially made "governor" and that, if he were to act as a governor, he should be given the proper credentials and legal authority to do so.<ref name="Amerika Samoa"/>{{rp|pages=150–153}} The Navy did not respond directly to Sebree's request, but he was given command of USS ''Wheeling'' three months later.<ref>{{cite news |title=Public Buildings Bill |work=Los Angeles Times |page=4 |date=1902-06-07}}</ref>

[[File:Aq-map.png|thumb|260px|left|Map of American Samoa. Swains Island was not added to the territory until 1925.]]Despite his protests, Sebree did act as the governor of the territory. During his administration, the United States Congress approved $35,000 to pay off debts related to construction costs for the naval station, and planning began for the construction of a [[lighthouse]] on [[Aunu'u]]. The Fita Fita Guard, the local militia that Tilley had organized, continued its training, and Sebree arranged to train some members of the force as a military-style [[brass band]]. Sebree also attempted to improve local agriculture and even petitioned the [[United States Department of Agriculture|Department of Agriculture]] for assistance, but was turned down.<ref name="Amerika Samoa"/>{{rp|pages=150–153}}

===Petition for civilian government=== Tensions escalated between foreign traders on Samoa and the local populace, due in part to controls which Tilley had put in place to protect Samoan farmers from exploitation.<ref name="Amerika Samoa"/>{{rp|pages=150–153}} Dr. David Starr Jordan, a prominent American [[biologist]] doing research in the territory, was so concerned by these tensions that he sent a letter to [[United States President|President]] [[Theodore Roosevelt]] asking that a trader not be made governor of the territory, if a civil administration were created. Shortly after, many traders and locals, including a Samoan tax collector, circulated a petition requesting a change in the way the [[copra]] crop was taxed and asking for the Navy to cease governing the territory. The petition was sent to members of Congress and the cause was picked up by [[California]] representative [[Julius Kahn (congressman)|Julius Kahn]] and gathered significant press coverage. This movement eventually reached President Roosevelt; his decision was not to act on the petition.<ref name="Amerika Samoa"/>{{rp|pages=150–153}}

On December 16, 1902, Sebree was granted a leave of absence to return to the United States and care for his wife who had been badly hurt in a fall.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sparks from the Wires |work=Atlanta Constitution |page=7 |date=1902-12-31}}</ref> In his place, Lieutenant Commander [[Henry Minett]], Sebree's executive officer, was made acting commandant of the station and therefore acting governor of the territory. He was also given command of the ''Wheeling''. Captain [[Edmund Beardsley Underwood]] was selected as Sebree's replacement, but that decision was not made official immediately, and Underwood remained in Washington to consult with Sebree and President Roosevelt on the governance of the territory. Underwood's selection was not announced until May 1903.<ref>{{cite news |title=Greetings from Samoa |newspaper=Washington Post |page=4 |date=1903-01-22}}</ref>

==Later career== [[File:Uss wisconsin bb-9.jpg|thumb|USS ''Wisconsin'']]Following his wife's recovery, Sebree returned to service and was given command of {{USS|Wisconsin|BB-9}} on February 11, 1903. The ''Wisconsin'' was the flagship of the North Squadron of the Pacific fleet under [[Robley D. Evans (admiral)|Robley D. Evans]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Orders to Naval Officers |newspaper=Washington Post |page=5 |date=1903-01-07}}</ref> While under Sebree's command, the ''Wisconsin'' and her crew were evaluated as one of the best, according to annual targeting exercises.<ref>{{cite news|title=Navy's Target Competition|newspaper=The New York Times|page=6|date=1905-07-09}}</ref>

===Nicholson court-martial=== In the late summer of 1903, [[Paymaster]] Rishworth Nicholson of {{USS|Don Juan de Austria}} assaulted a [[Germany|German]] [[Consul (representative)|Consul]] at a [[Ball (dance)|ball]] in [[Yantai, China]]. He was promptly brought up on charges of "drunkenness", "scandalous conduct tending to the destruction of good morals", and "falsehood" and taken to the ''Wisconsin'' for his court martial.<ref name=nicholson>{{cite news |title=Naval Court Denounced |newspaper=The New York Times |page=3 |date=1903-09-22 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A03E6DC1439E433A25751C2A96F9C946297D6CF}}</ref> Sebree and a group of six other officers found him guilty of the first charge, guilty of a lesser offense for the second charge, and not guilty on the third. His sentence was determined to be a reduction in grade equivalent to one year of seniority. Three of the officers, not including Sebree, wrote a supplementary opinion requesting clemency for Nicholson.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 1903 |title=Demoralizing the Navy |newspaper=The Independent |volume=55 |issue=2861 |pages=2360–2361 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-i4PAQAAIAAJ}}</ref>

However, Rear Admiral Evans, the commander of the [[Asiatic Squadron]], rejected the verdict as inadequate and requested that the court reconsider the decision. The court reconvened and returned the same judgment and sentence. In response, Evans wrote a scathing critique of the process, calling it a "travesty of justice" and stating that Nicholson's actions were "less reprehensible than his judges".<ref name=nicholson/> This critical essay was required to be posted at every naval base and on every ship in the Pacific and was reprinted in full by ''The New York Times'' and other civilian newspapers. Evans banned the three officers who had publicly requested clemency from participating in future courts martial. Press reports questioned whether Evans had that authority as the military justice system was intended to be impartial.<ref name=nicholson/> In late September 1903, the three officers who had been named in the critique filed a protest with [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[William Henry Moody]] stating that Admiral Evans had overstepped his authority by publicly reprimanding them without a court martial and that charges should be brought against him. On November 18, 1903, Moody denied the petition and the sentences were left to stand.<ref>{{cite news |title=Admiral Evans Upheld for Censure of Court |newspaper=The New York Times |page=1 |date=1903-11-19 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E06E2D91039E333A2575AC1A9679D946297D6CF}}</ref>

During this controversy, Sebree remained silent on the issue, and it is unknown whether he was a member of the majority or not. Evans commented in his critique that he was unsure who the other supporters of the majority decision were. As criticism swirled around the trial itself, the editors of the magazine ''United Service'' defended Sebree and stated that he had "universal esteem throughout the Navy service" and that he had a "large experience, sound judgment, even temper and most excellent record".<ref>{{cite journal |date=October 1903 |title=Service Salad |journal=United Service |volume=4 |issue=4 |page=426 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xssCAAAAYAAJ}}</ref> Following this announcement, Sebree was transferred to the [[Naval War College]] in [[Rhode Island]] to work as an instructor and as Secretary of the [[United States Lighthouse Board|Lighthouse Board]].<ref>{{cite news|title=The United Service|newspaper=The New York Times|page=13|date=1904-05-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Bureau of Naval Personnel|title=Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps and Reserve Officers on Active Duty|date=1906|publisher=Government Printing Office|location=Washington DC|page=8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NsUcAQAAIAAJ|access-date=11 June 2015}}</ref>

===Lightship ''No. 58'' incident=== In December 1905, a storm and mechanical failures caused major problems for the crew of the [[lightvessel]] [[Nantucket Lightship LV58|Lightship ''No. 58'']] anchored off of [[Nantucket]]. Her crew, led by Captain James Jorgensen, fought for two days to prevent the vessel from foundering, but were ultimately unsuccessful. They were rescued by Captain Gibbs of the [[USLHT Azalea (1891)|''Azalea'']].<ref name="lightship-58">{{cite news|title=Sailors Saved; Lose Jobs|work=Chicago Tribune|page=6|date=1905-12-14}}</ref> The fallout over this incident caused enough of a stir that the military had to respond to it directly. Under Navy rules, the eleven officers and crew members of the ''No. 58'' were denied pay while they were recovering from their injuries and until they were posted to new vessels under a regulation that prohibited pay to sailors whose ships had sunk. The sailors appealed to Sebree, as Secretary of the Lighthouse Board, but he did not or could not accommodate them. Instead, the officers were given commendations by Secretary [[Victor H. Metcalf]] and "preference in future appointments".<ref name="lightship-58" /> Admiral Dewey and Captain Sebree made a second recommendation, which was approved, that Captain Gibbs receive a commendation and a pay increase for his service.<ref>{{cite news|title=Navy Recognizes Bravery|newspaper=The Washington Post|page=4|date=1905-12-27}}</ref>

===Pathfinder Squadron=== Sebree was promoted to [[rear admiral]] in 1907 and was given command of a [[Squadron (naval)|squadron]] of two ships: his [[flagship]], {{USS|Tennessee|ACR-10|6}}, and {{USS|Washington|ACR-11|6}}.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cruisers' Trip to the Pacific|newspaper=Washington Post|date=1907-10-02|page=11}}</ref> This so-called "Pathfinder Squadron" would travel from New York to California via Cape Horn. This mission allowed the Navy to show off two of its newest [[cruisers]] to South American governments as well as transfer ships to the Pacific Fleet in what was seen as an example of American [[gunboat diplomacy]]. Along the way, Sebree had formal meetings with [[President of Brazil|Brazilian President]] [[Afonso Pena]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Cruisers at Rio de Janeiro|newspaper=Washington Post|page=4|date=1907-11-06}}</ref> [[President of Peru|Peruvian President]] [[José Pardo y Barreda]], and United States diplomatic staff in both countries.<ref>{{cite news |title=Admiral Sebree Visits Callao|newspaper=Washington Post|page=4|date=1907-12-07}}</ref> He also met with representatives in [[Chile]] and other countries.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pathfinders of Navy Stop at Many Ports|work=Los Angeles Times|page=II14|date=1908-01-14}}</ref> When the squadron finally arrived in California, it was joined by {{USS|California|ACR-6|6}} and participated in public-relations events at West Coast ports.<ref>{{cite news|title=Open All Three For Visitors|work=Los Angeles Times|page=II8|date=1908-03-24}}</ref> The diplomatic mission over, the Pathfinder Squadron, with the ''California'' and others, became the 2nd division of the [[United States Pacific Fleet]], with Sebree remaining in command. Rear Admiral [[William T. Swinburne]] was placed in command of the full fleet.<ref>{{cite book |title=Thence Round Cape Horn |last=Johnson |first=Robert Erwin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NWFB_bYfnw0C |page=210 |isbn=978-0-405-13040-3 |year=1980 |publisher=Ayer Publishing}}</ref>

On June 5, 1908, Sebree was nearly killed during a speed trial of the ''Tennessee'' off the coast of California. He had just completed a tour of the starboard boiler room when a steam pipe burst, instantly killing two officers and wounding ten others, three fatally. Witnesses reported that Sebree and other officers had left the boiler room only 50 seconds earlier.<ref>{{cite news |title=Explosion Kills Four on Cruiser|newspaper=Washington Post|page=1|date=1908-06-06}}</ref>

In August 1908, the full Pacific Fleet was dispatched to numerous ports in the Pacific Ocean on a diplomatic mission similar to the one undertaken by Sebree in South America the previous year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pacific Fleet Sails Away to South Seas|work=Los Angeles Times|page=I2|date=1908-08-25}}</ref> On this voyage, Sebree and Swinburne met with leaders and representatives from the [[Territory of Hawaii]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Rear-Admirals Dined|work=Los Angeles Times|page=I1|date=1908-09-07}}</ref> the [[Philippines]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Scare Won't Stop Fleet|newspaper=The New York Times|page=4|date=1908-09-23}}</ref> [[Western Samoa]],<ref name="fleet-at-apia">{{cite news |title=Pacific Fleet at Apia|newspaper=The New York Times|page=3|date=1908-09-21}}</ref> and [[Panama]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Cruisers at Panama|newspaper=The New York Times|page=4|date=1908-12-14}}</ref> While visiting the Western Samoan capital of [[Apia]], Sebree was presented with a souvenir album of Samoan scenery in honor of his time as governor of neighboring American Samoa.<ref name="fleet-at-apia"/>

===Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet=== On April 15, 1909, Admiral Swinburne, the commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet, announced his retirement, and Sebree was appointed to replace him on May 17.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sebree for Pacific Fleet|work=Los Angeles Times|page=I5|date=1909-04-16}}</ref> Good public relations remained a major goal of the fleet, and in June, the fleet was displayed at the [[Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition]]. President [[William Howard Taft]] led the exposition's opening ceremony, and many American dignitaries were in attendance.<ref>{{cite news |title=Alaska-Yukon Opened By Taft|work=Atlanta Constitution|page=2|date=1909-06-02}}</ref>

[[File:Admiral Sebree and Pacific Fleet Staff on the Tennessee.jpg|thumb|left|Rear Admiral Sebree and Pacific Fleet officers]]Sebree's final mission before his retirement saw him lead the Pacific Fleet on a tour of ports in east Asia. The fleet left San Francisco on September 5, 1909, sailing west to the Philippines, with only brief stops en route.<ref name="pacific-route">{{cite news |title=Big Cruiser Fleet for East|newspaper=The New York Times|page=4|date=1909-08-02}}</ref> Speed testing was a major goal of the early part of the voyage and he and his fleet of eight ships broke speed records by sailing to Honolulu in just over four days. Six of the eight ships were able to make the voyage in that time; the ''Colorado'' and ''West Virginia'' had mechanical failures which prevented them from completing the voyage on time. On the ''Colorado'', those failures led to the deaths of two crewmen due to a steam pipe explosion.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pacific Fleet Breaks Record|work=Los Angeles Times|page=I5|date=1909-09-11}}</ref> From Hawaii, the fleet moved on to [[Manila]] where the ships performed target practices and exercises, as well as being cleaned and repainted, before resuming their primary mission by sailing to [[Yokohama]], [[Japan]]. In Japan, the fleet dispersed and small groups of cruisers were dispatched to the ports of British-controlled [[Hong Kong]], [[Wusong]] in [[China]], and [[Kobe, Japan]]. Afterwards, the fleet returned home.<ref name="pacific-route" /> Just before Sebree's retirement the Pacific Fleet was split into two: a smaller Pacific Fleet and an [[Asiatic Fleet]] commanded by Rear Admiral [[John Hubbard (admiral)|John Hubbard]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Hubbard Heads Asiatic Fleet|work=Atlanta Constitution|page=2|date=1910-01-01}}</ref> On February 19, 1910, Sebree officially retired and was replaced as head of the Pacific Fleet by Rear Admiral [[Giles B. Harber]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Admiral Sebree Retires|work=Atlanta Constitution|page=B3|date=1910-02-20}}</ref>

Shortly after retiring, Sebree was given a farewell banquet which included British [[Field Marshal]] [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Herbert Kitchener]] as a notable guest and [[Governor of California|California Governor]] [[James Gillett]] as toastmaster.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kitchener is Noted Guest|work=Los Angeles Times|page=I4|date=1910-04-08}}</ref> In retirement, Sebree continued to attend Navy functions. In 1916, Sebree reported that the United States Navy lagged behind the world's other major navies. A single [[dreadnought]], he claimed, could ravage the entire Pacific Fleet which was at that time relying on [[submarine]]s for defense.<ref>{{cite news |title=One Dreadnought Could Whip Fleet|work=Los Angeles Times|page=II2|date=1916-04-06}}</ref> The Atlantic Fleet already had dreadnoughts in commission.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/battleships/michigan-bb-27.html |title=USS Michigan (Battleship # 27, later BB-27)|access-date=2015-05-13 |publisher=Naval Historical Center |page=159}}</ref>

Sebree died at his home in [[Coronado, California]], on August 6, 1922. He and his wife, Anne Bridgman Sebree, are buried in [[Arlington National Cemetery]]. They had one son, John Bridgman Sebree (1889–1948), who served in the [[United States Marine Corps]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Births, Marriages and Deaths|journal=Army and Navy Register|date=1922-08-12|volume=72}}</ref>

==Honors and awards== [[Sebree Peak]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Baker |first=Marcus |title=Geographic Dictionary of Alaska |year=1906 |edition=2nd |publisher=United States Government Printing Office |location=Washington, DC |page=559 |url=http://pubs.dggsalaskagov.us/webpubs/usgs/p/text/p0567.pdf |access-date=2015-06-10 |archive-date=2017-01-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125032149/http://pubs.dggsalaskagov.us/webpubs/usgs/p/text/p0567.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Sebree Island]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Orth|first=Donald J|title=Dictionary of Alaska Place Names|publisher=United States Government Printing Office|location=Washington, DC|year=1967|page=849|url=http://library.uaf.edu/resources-dictionary-of-alaska-place-names|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002075458/https://library.uaf.edu/resources-dictionary-of-alaska-place-names|archive-date=2015-10-02}}</ref> both in Alaska, are named for the admiral.

== Taxon named in his honor == * ''[[Eviota sebreei]]'', or the common name '''Sebree's pygmy goby''' or '''striped dwarfgoby''', is a species of fishes belonging to the family [[Gobiidae]].<ref name = ETYFish>{{cite web | url = http://www.etyfish.org/gobiiformes5/ | title = Order GOBIIFORMES: Family GOBIIDAE (d-h) | access-date= 19 November 2024 | author1 = Christopher Scharpf | author2 = Kenneth J. Lazara | name-list-style = amp | work = The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database | publisher = Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara | date = 22 September 2018}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading== * {{cite book|title=Arctic Experience|last=Blake|first=E. Vale|publisher=Harper & Brothers|year=1874|location=New York|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_6NQBAAAAYAAJ|isbn=978-0-8154-1189-5}} * {{cite book|title=Unrivaled History of the World|volume=5|last=Clare|first=Israel Smith|publisher=The Werner Company|year=1898|location=Chicago|pages=1860–1861}} * {{cite book |last=Chadwick |first=French Ensor |title=The Relations of the United States and Spain: The Spanish–American War |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.82148 |year=1911 |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |location=New York}} * {{cite book |last=Dieck|first=Herman |title=The Marvellous Wonders of the Polar World |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_4jUNAAAAIAAJ |year=1885 |publisher=National Publishing Company |location=Philadelphia, Chicago, and St. Louis}} * {{cite book|last=Gray |first=J. A. C. |title=Amerika Samoa: History Of American Samoa And Its United States Naval Administration |year=1960 |publisher=United States Naval Institute |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-0-87021-074-7}} * {{cite book|title=Thence Round Cape Horn|last=Johnson|first=Robert Erwin|year=1980|publisher=Ayer Publishing|edition=reprint|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NWFB_bYfnw0C|isbn=978-0-405-13040-3}} * {{cite book |last=Schley |first=Winfield Scott|author-link=Winfield Scott Schley |title=Forty-five Years Under the Flag |url=https://archive.org/details/fortyfiveyearsu00schlgoog |date=September 1904 |publisher=D. Appleton and Company |location=New York|isbn=978-0-548-23465-5}} * {{cite book|last=Schley |first=Winfield Scott |author-link=Winfield Scott Schley |author2=Soley, J. R. |title=The Rescue of Greely |url=https://archive.org/details/rescuegreely00solegoog |year=1885 |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |location=New York}}

==External links== *{{commons category-inline}}

{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{s-bef| before=[[Benjamin Franklin Tilley]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Governor of American Samoa|Naval Governor of American Samoa]] |years=November 27, 1901 – December 16, 1902}} {{s-aft|after=[[Henry Minett]]}} {{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[William T. Swinburne]]}} {{s-ttl|rows=2|title=[[Commander Pacific Fleet|Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet]]|years=May 17, 1909 – February 19, 1910 ''Split with [[United States Asiatic Fleet|U.S. Asiatic Fleet]] on January 28, 1910''}} {{s-aft|after=[[Giles B. Harber]]}} |- {{s-aft|after=[[John Hubbard (admiral)|John Hubbard]]|as=[[United States Asiatic Fleet|Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet]]}} {{end}} {{Governors of American Samoa}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sebree, Uriel}} [[Category:1848 births]] [[Category:1922 deaths]] [[Category:People from Fayette, Missouri]] [[Category:19th-century American people]] [[Category:American explorers of the Arctic]] [[Category:Governors of American Samoa]] [[Category:United States Navy rear admirals (upper half)]] [[Category:United States Navy personnel who were court-martialed]] [[Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery]]