John Davis Long
Encyclopedia
John Davis Long was a U.S. political figure. He served as the 32nd Governor of Massachusetts
between 1880 and 1883. He later served as the Secretary of the Navy from 1897 to 1902.
Born in Buckfield, Maine
to Zadoc Long, he graduated from Harvard University
in 1857 and practiced law in Maine
and Massachusetts
. Long then served as Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1876–1879), Lieutenant Governor (1879), Governor (1880–1883) and Congressman from Massachusetts. He was present at the dedication of the Town Hall in Stoughton, Massachusetts
on November 22, 1881. In one of his last acts as governor, appointed Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on 8 December 1882, a last minute appointment as the Governor's Council adjourned that day at 3pm.
Appointed 34th Secretary of the Navy by President William McKinley
5 March 1897, Long served with vision and efficiency through the next five years, organizing the Navy for the challenges of the Spanish-American War
and the expansion that followed, and laying the groundwork for the growth of the "New American Navy" fostered by his former assistant, President Theodore Roosevelt
.
Long resigned in 1902, returned to Massachusetts, and died at Hingham, Massachusetts
in 1915.
USS Long (DD-209)
was named for him.
In 1870, Long married Mary Woodward Glover, with whom he had two daughters, Margaret and Helen, before she died in 1882. In 1886 Long married Agnes Pierce; their son, Pierce, was born December 29, 1887.
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
between 1880 and 1883. He later served as the Secretary of the Navy from 1897 to 1902.
Born in Buckfield, Maine
Buckfield, Maine
Buckfield is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Buckfield is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England City and Town Area. It is a member of Maine School Administrative District 39 along with nearby Hartford and Sumner...
to Zadoc Long, he graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1857 and practiced law in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Long then served as Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1876–1879), Lieutenant Governor (1879), Governor (1880–1883) and Congressman from Massachusetts. He was present at the dedication of the Town Hall in Stoughton, Massachusetts
Stoughton, Massachusetts
Stoughton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 26,962 at the 2010 census. The town is located approximately from Boston, from Providence, and from Cape Cod.-History:...
on November 22, 1881. In one of his last acts as governor, appointed Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932...
to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on 8 December 1882, a last minute appointment as the Governor's Council adjourned that day at 3pm.
Appointed 34th Secretary of the Navy by President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
5 March 1897, Long served with vision and efficiency through the next five years, organizing the Navy for the challenges of the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
and the expansion that followed, and laying the groundwork for the growth of the "New American Navy" fostered by his former assistant, President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
.
Long resigned in 1902, returned to Massachusetts, and died at Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
in 1915.
USS Long (DD-209)
USS Long (DD-209)
USS Long , named for John Davis Long , Secretary of the Navy from 1897 to 1902, was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy....
was named for him.
In 1870, Long married Mary Woodward Glover, with whom he had two daughters, Margaret and Helen, before she died in 1882. In 1886 Long married Agnes Pierce; their son, Pierce, was born December 29, 1887.