William Radford

William Radford [September 9, 1809 – January 8, 1890] was a rear admiral of the United States Navy who served during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. There is a discrepancy with some references which report his birth date as 1 Mar 1808 but family records and the U.S. Federal Census forms support the 1809 date.

John Radford Family 1806–1821
On Dec 23, 1806, John Radford [May 27, 1785 – April 15, 1817] married Harriet Kennerly [July 28, 1788 – December 25, 1831] in Fincastle, Virginia at Santillane, the estate of her uncle George Hancock. In attendance at the wedding was William Clark direct from the Corps of Discovery exploration.

After William was born in Fincastle, the Radfords moved to Lewis County, Kentucky near Maysville where William's two siblings were born:
 * Mary Preston [March 5, 1812 – June 27, 1899]
 * John Desborough [June 6, 1816 – January 7, 1868]

In 1817, father John Radford was killed by the wild boar he was hunting. Widow Harriet moved her three children to Saint Louis, Missouri to join her brothers and first cousin Judith "Julia" Hancock Clark, wife of William Clark. The Radfords resided with her brother James Kennerly.

William Clark Family 1821–1825
Julia Clark succumbed Jun 27, 1820. Widower William Clark married Harriet Nov 28, 1821 in Saint Louis, adopted the Radford children and added three children to their combined family:
 * Harriet Clark [dates unknown; died as infant].
 * Jefferson Kearny Clark [February 29, 1824 – January 10, 1900]
 * Edmund Clark [September 9, 1826 – August 12, 1827]

After his mother's second marriage, Radford initially refused to move into the Clark house, so he was sent to a school in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where he became acquainted with the sea. He asked stepfather William Clark for a recommendation to the U.S. Navy. Clark sent a personal request to President John Quincy Adams.

William Clark's diaries mention Radford accompanying him in 1824 from Saint Louis to Washington, D.C. Before returning home, they diverted to New York City and observed the hero's welcome for Marquis de Lafayette. On Apr 29, 1825 Lafayette paid a visit to Saint Louis where William Clark hosted his stay and introduced Radford, none aware that Radford would be a member of the crew sailing Lafayette back to France.

Radford embarked upon another Clark trip to Washington, D.C. in the fall of 1828. An excursion in early January 1829 to visit stepbrother Meriwether Lewis Clark at West Point was abandoned due to ice floes on the Hudson River. After witnessing the inauguration of President Andrew Jackson they returned to Saint Louis.

Naval career 1825–1843: Mediterranean and West Indies Squadrons
Radford was accepted Mar 1, 1825 into the United States Navy as a midshipman. He reported Aug 1, 1825 to Captain Charles Morris for duty on the USS Brandywine (1825) at Washington Navy Yard. While the ship normally carried only 8 to 10 midshipmen, President Adams appointed a total of 24, at least one from each state, to commemorate the return of Lafayette to France. Radford represented the state of Missouri.

Lafayette was delivered to Le Havre on Oct 9, 1825. From there the Brandywine was attached to the Mediterranean Squadron under Commodore John Rodgers. Upon the departure of the Brandywine Feb 25, 1826, Radford transferred to the USS Constitution to remain in the Mediterranean monitoring the Greek War of Independence and coup against the Janissaries. Rodgers was succeeded by Commodore William Crane Mar 30, 1827. The Constitution, in need of major repairs, was recalled to Boston Navy Yard arriving on Jul 4, 1828.

Radford returned to Saint Louis and received orders Aug 10, 1829, to join the USS Erie (1813) at Norfolk Naval Shipyard for deployment to the West Indies Squadron commanded by Commodore Charles Ridgely. Radford was promoted to passed midshipman Jun 4, 1831 and reported for duty in Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. In September 1831, he requested a six-month leave and was with his mother Harriet when she died Dec 25, 1831, Christmas Day. He was then entered into a furlough due to the general stagnation of naval affairs.

Radford was assigned to the receiving ship USS Sea Gull (1818) at Philadelphia in February 1834. Then in June 1834 he returned to the Mediterranean Squadron aboard the USS John Adams (1799) as the acting Master. He suffered an attack of cholera in November 1834 and was sent ashore to recover in the south of France. Still afflicted in January 1836, he was in New Orleans, Louisiana and, during October 1836, was recuperating at the home of his uncle William Radford II in Lynchburg, Virginia.

On Feb 9, 1837, Radford was appointed lieutenant. In September he rejoined the West Indies Squadron, reporting to Commodore Alexander Dallas and fighting in the second Seminole War. The maiden voyage of the USS Preble (1839) took Radford to Labrador in June 1840. In November, he returned for a third tour with the Mediterranean Squadron, Commodore Isaac Hull in charge. On Mar 6, 1841, due to the Oregon Question, Radford was summoned to New York via the Brandywine.

Radford traveled May 1841 to Norfolk for duty on the USS Pennsylvania (1837). On Dec 20, 1841, he received the USS Ontario (1813) as his first command and delivered her from New York to the Rendezvous at New Orleans where she was employed as a receiving ship. Relieved of recruitment detail in August 1843, he was ordered on board the inaugural cruise of the USS Savannah (1842) where she became the flagship of the Pacific Squadron for Commodore Alexander Dallas.

Naval career 1843–1847: Pacific Squadron
Radford was attached Apr 24, 1844, to the USS Warren (1827) and visited Society Islands, Sandwich Islands and the western coastline of the Americas. Commodore Dallas died at Callao, Peru and was replaced by Commodore John Sloat. Radford's January 1845 letter to brother-in-law Stephen Kearny predicted California "can never be a very densely populated country" and Oregon "is not a very desirable country" yet "we should and ought by rights to have some possessions on the Pacific". He also mentions that "dysentery killed seven of the crew" and that "I was dangerously ill myself".

By May 1845 at Callao, he was again debilitated by dysentery to a degree where ship surgeons recommended he should be removed from the ship "to a more favorable climate". However he remained aboard and, through mid-1845, patrolled the California coast where rumor of war with Mexico was rife.

Reaching Honolulu Oct 4, 1845, orders were received that once Mexico declared war, the squadron should "blockade or occupy such ports as force might permit". The Warren set return sail on October 16 to Mazatlán to await the onset of war. Months passed until Jun 6, 1846, when confirmation arrived from William Maxwell Wood that land war had commenced. The Warren remained at Mazatlán as the other ships of the squadron captured ports along the California coast, generally with the inhabitants cooperating. English warships, also awaiting news of war, reacted too late to offer their protectorate flags to Mexico.

The Warren left Mazatlán with dispatches from Washington, D.C. and arrived at Monterey on Aug 17, 1846, to find Commodore Robert Stockton in charge of the Pacific Squadron. Ordered back to resume the blockade of Mazatlán, the Warren arrived early morning of September 7 to find the Mexican warship Malek Adhel in the harbor. Radford commanded the boarding party which inserted during the siesta hour and securely fastened the hatches while the entire crew was below deck. Over the course of the next months, "13 or 14" additional ships were captured by the blockade, eliminating further threat from the Mexican Navy.

Despite the ease of the Conquest of California for the Navy, hostilities continued on land until a flag of truce was delivered by residents of Los Angeles on Jan 10, 1848. General Stephen Kearny paid a visit Feb 17, 1848, to his brother-in-law at Yerba Buena. After nearly four years abroad, Radford was granted leave to depart May 31, 1847, for home overland with Kearny and his troops.

Naval career 1847–1862: New York and East India Squadron
Radford arrived back in Saint Louis on Aug 28, 1847. He was ordered Dec 20, 1847, to testify in the court-martial of John C. Frémont at the Washington Arsenal. A leave was approved Mar 2, 1848, which indicated Radford intended to revisit Mexico with General Kearny but his letter of Jul 3, 1848, was sent from New York requesting a three-month extension. He went to see his cousin William Preston Griffin at Morristown, New Jersey, met Mary Lovell, married her and settled there. He commuted to his assignment at the Rendezvous in New York through Jan 21, 1851. On Jul 26, 1851, Radford took command of the USS Lexington (1825) and sailed again to the Pacific Squadron. By March 1852 he arrived in San Francisco where he met with brother John and brother-in-law Benjamin Lovell. On the way home, a letter from his father-in-law Joseph Lovell advised that Radford's infant son, Willie, had died. Detached from the Lexington on Sep 22, 1852, Radford returned to Morristown.

For the period 1852 until 1860, Radford was assigned shore duties in New York despite his applications for a command. For three years, he worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and witnessed for numerous courts-martial. In June 1855, he was given command of U.S. Steamer City of Boston to prevent ships connected with filibustering expeditions from leaving the harbor. On July 20 he was appointed a member of a committee to "examine and report on the different Life Boats." Finally, Radford had a brief stint as Inspector of the Third Lighthouse District. During these years, he again shuttled from his residence in Morristown.

Radford was fortunate to receive a commission as commander September 14, 1855. Throughout 1855 and early 1856, promotions were at a standstill in the Navy partly due to the shortage of ships. Many officers were given leave to take command of merchant ships (such as U.S. Mail steamers) at significantly higher pay. To overcome this quandary, a Naval Retiring Board was formed which upset the older officers but cheered younger members of the service.

He took command of the USS Dacotah (1859) Apr 23, 1860, and sailed to Hong Kong as a unit of the East India Squadron for Commodore Cornelius Stribling. However, after the onset of the Civil War, both Radford and Stribling were relieved of their commands and ordered to return Washington, D.C. despite their declarations of allegiance to the Union. Commodore Samuel Du Pont in Washington, D.C. explained to Radford's wife Mary that, with the number of defections from both the Army and Navy, all officers from slave states must be evaluated for risk. Radford arrived home Oct 12, 1861, seriously ill with smallpox but recovered quickly. After an interview with Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, he was reappointed Inspector of the Third Lighthouse District at New York.

Naval career 1862–1865: Civil War
On Feb 8, 1862, Radford accepted command of the USS Cumberland (1842). He was aboard the USS Roanoke (1855) as a member of a Naval Board of Inquiry Mar 8, 1862, when his ship was sunk by the Confederate ram CSS Virginia during the Battle of Hampton Roads.

A Naval Board convened in April 1862 at the Naval Academy Preparatory School with Radford as a member. He received, Jun 10, 1862, temporary duty as Executive Officer of Brooklyn Navy Yard under command of Rear Admiral Hiram Paulding. The assignment stretched into almost two years of equipping and fitting-out hundreds of vessels for the Navy. Radford received promotion to captain July 16, 1862, and then to commodore Apr 24, 1863.

On May 15, 1864, Radford was directed to report to Rear Admiral John Dahlgren at Philadelphia for command of the armored ship USS New Ironsides. Upon arrival it was determined the ship required repairs so Radford was relieved and ordered to a Naval Board in Washington, D.C. during July 1864. He was recommitted to the New Ironides on Aug 16, 1864, and joined the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron at Hampton Roads. Rear Admiral David Porter assembled a fleet to attack Fort Fisher for the control of Cape Fear River. He placed Radford in command of the Ironclad Division, consisting of flagship New Ironsides, USS Dictator (1863), USS Monadnock (1863), USS Canonicus (1863), USS Saugus (1863) and USS Mahopac (1863) during attacks on Fort Fisher in December 1864 and in January 1865. David Porter commended Radford's support for the Union forces ashore and eight members of his crew were awarded the Medal of Honor.

The New Ironsides sailed Jan 24, 1865, up the James River to Bermuda Hundred to protect the stores of the Army of the Potomac from a threatened raid by Confederate rams during the siege of Petersburg. Radford took charge of the flotilla assembled there and coordinated with Generals Ulysses Grant and Edward Ord. Radford transferred his flag to the USS Dumbarton (1861) when the New Ironsides was sent to Norfolk Naval yard Feb 18, 1865, for repairs. With the end of war near, the Dumbarton departed from the James River Mar 22, 1865, and officers and crew were detached upon arrival at the Washington Navy Yard.

On Apr 4, 1865, Radford sailed the USS Phlox (1864) from Washington, D.C. up the James River and arrived at City Point, Virginia the next evening. From there, he conveyed Vice President Andrew Johnson and Preston King to Richmond, Virginia and back. President Abraham Lincoln was already in Richmond, unaccompanied by any of his Cabinet, to witness the downfall of the Confederate stronghold. He became agitated about the Johnson and King arrival and ordered Radford to keep both of his passengers elsewhere. While moored for two days, Radford discovered stepbrother Meriwether Clark was a prisoner of war and brought him aboard the Phlox to await release.

Naval Career 1865-1872: North Atlantic and European Squadrons
Commodore Radford was appointed Apr 28, 1865, to command the North Atlantic Squadron as Acting Rear Admiral. He transferred his flag May 15, 1865, from the Phlox to the USS Malvern (1860), which remained his flagship during his tenure. He was called Oct 10, 1865, to oversee the Washington Navy Yard. He moved his wife, two daughters and three sons from New Jersey to a Washington, D.C. home in November. Radford was promoted to rear admiral Jul 25, 1866.

Radford left Washington Jan 20, 1869, with his family in tow and arrived in New York to embark on the USS Franklin (1864) to Lisbon, Portugal. After seventeen days of stormy passage, Radford arrived to take charge of the European Squadron and found all attached vessels, USS Ticonderoga (1862), USS Richmond (1860), USS Swatara (1865), Frolic and USS Guard (1857), lying at anchor in the harbor waiting for his orders.

As Radford performed his duties, his family traveled with him on the Franklin to Spain, Algiers, France, the Netherlands and Italy. During 1870, the children attended school at Lausanne, Switzerland. A month after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, Radford relinquished his command Aug 10, 1870, to Rear Admiral Oliver Glisson. He travelled to Lausanne to retrieve his children believing any battles would be distant. After arrival in Paris, the surrender of the French Army on Sep 2, 1870, caused the Radford family to flee the advancing Prussian Army. At Havre they negotiated commercial passage to the United States.

Radford was listed by the Navy as retired on Mar 1, 1870. However, from Oct 1, 1870, through the next two years, he served on several Naval Boards of Inquiry chaired by Rear Admiral Joseph Smith, Rear Admiral Theodore Bailey and Vice Admiral Stephen Rowan.

Marriage and family 1848–1890
Radford married Mary "Minnie" Elizabeth Lovell [April 12, 1829 – October 27, 1903] in St. Peter's Church, Morristown, New Jersey Nov 3, 1848. The ceremony was overcast due to the death of brother-in-law Stephen Kearny a few days before. The Radfords resided on Mount Kemble Avenue for almost twenty years in a house previously owned by John Doughty.

Children of William and Elizabeth (all born in Morristown, New Jersey except Henry who was born in Washington, D.C.) were:
 * Mary Lovell Radford [August 25, 1849 – October 7, 1929].
 * Married Randolph Coyle [September 21, 1843 – January 4, 1891] in Washington, D.C. 24 Nov 1874; four children.
 * William Radford [March 28, 1851 – July 17, 1852].
 * Sophie Adelaide Radford [November 17, 1854 – April 17, 1957].
 * Married Waldemar de Meissner [c. 1852 – April 17, 1896 (aged 43–44)] in Washington, D.C. Nov 20, 1877; one son.
 * Stephen Kearny Radford [June 27, 1856 – August 2, 1930].
 * Married Penelope "Nellie" Porter Armstrong [December 16, 1861 – April 20, 1898] at Abilene, Texas (date unknown); three children.
 * Married Elizabeth "Lizzie" McCulloch Griswold [November 22, 1862 – October 2, 1913] at Petersburg, Virginia Dec 19, 1904; no children.
 * George Reginald Radford [February 15, 1860 – November 3, 1945].
 * Married Mary Ryal Dodson [January 13, 1863 – February 7, 1946] in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Oct 12, 1887; one daughter.
 * Edmund Ironsides Radford [December 27, 1865 – December 27, 1881].
 * Henry Carlton Radford [August 17, 1867 – May 10, 1896].
 * Married Elizabeth Rice Upham [September 1, 1868 – October 28, 1930] in Claremont, New Hampshire Sep 12, 1895; no children.

Sister Mary married Stephen Kearny in Saint Louis, Missouri Sep 5, 1830; ten children.

Brother John married Sophie Angelique Menard [November 13, 1822 – June 22, 1848], daughter of Pierre Menard, in Kaskaskia, Illinois Jul 25, 1842; three children.

First cousin Dr. John Blair Radford settled in Lovely Mount, Montgomery County, Virginia in 1836. The town was renamed to Radford in his honor during 1887.

Daughter Sophie became a writer including a play produced on Broadway and her father's biography Old Naval Days.

Son George Reginald and grandson William Radford Coyle married sisters. Mary and Jane Dodson respectively were daughters of Weston Dodson, founder of Weston Dodson & Company in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Coyle served three terms from Pennsylvania as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Great-granddaughter (from son Stephen Kearny's lineage) Rosemary Radford Ruether pioneered feminist theology.

Legacy
When the Brandywine arrived in France in 1825, Radford purchased a set of dining room chairs which he shipped back to the Clark household in St. Louis, Missouri. The Clark family referred to them as the "Lafayette Chairs" per the trip's famous passenger.

Radford, as a witness, signed at least three treaties between the United States and Indian nations. He had attended the ceremonies with stepfather William Clark, who was serving as Superintendent of Indian Affairs.

Radford built an elegant Victorian mansion during 1875 at 1736 (now 1734) N Street NW in the DuPont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is now the General Federation of Women's Clubs Headquarters.

Two ships of the U.S. Navy were named USS Radford in his honor.