Ellsworth P. Bertholf
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Ellsworth Price Bertholf (April 7, 1866-November 11, 1921) was a Congressional Gold Medal recipient who later served as the fourth Chief of the United States Revenue Cutter Service and first Commandant of the United States Coast Guard.
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[edit] Revenue Cutter Service career
Bertholf was born in New York City. According to the book Commodore Ellsworth P. Bertholf: First Commandant of the Coast Guard By C. Douglas Kroll, Ellsworth Bertholf was court-martialed while serving as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy, for allegedly participating in a hazing incident. Following his expulsion from the the Naval Academy, he enlisted in 1885 in the Revenue Cutter Service as a cadet. Later on, he became the first Revenue Cutter Service officer to attend the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
From 1889 until 1911, Bertholf was stationed in Alaska.In 1902, he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his leadership in starvation-relief efforts for American whalers at Point Barrow in 1897-1898, in what became known as the Overland Expedition. That expedition has been hailed as one of the most perilous rescue missions in maritime history. From 1911 to 1915, he served as the last Chief of the Revenue Cutter Service.
[edit] First Commandant of the Coast Guard
In 1915, President Woodrow Wilson bypassed 22 more senior officers to appoint Bertholf as first Commandant of Coast Guard, the successor entity of the Revenue Cutter Service. During World War I, Bertholf was granted the temporary rank of Commodore.
[edit] Post-war life and legacy
Following his retirement from the Coast Guard in 1919, he became a Vice President at the American Bureau of Shipping, becoming an influential figure at the institution. He died in his room at the Bretton Hall Hotel in New York City and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
The Coast Guard has named the first cutter of the Legend-class cutters (WMSL-750) the USCGC Bertholf in honor of their former Commandant. The cutter is the first ship to be constructed as part of the Coast Guard's Deepwater program and is due to be launched in 2007.
[edit] References
| Preceded by Worth G. Ross |
Commandant of the Coast Guard 1915—1919 |
Succeeded by William F. Reynolds |
