Seaton Schroeder

Seaton Schroeder (17 August 1849 – 19 October 1922) was an admiral of the United States Navy.

Biography
Schroeder was born in Washington, D.C., on 17 August 1849 the son of Frances Schroeder, who was the United States Ambassador to Sweden. His mother was the daughter of William Winston Seaton, who, with his brother-in-law, Joseph Gales, owned and edited the National Intelligencer. Seaton served as the Mayor of Washington, D.C., from 1840 to 1850.

He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1864, which, because of the American Civil War, was in Newport, Rhode Island. After graduating in June 1868 he served with the Pacific Fleet in 1868-69 under Admiral John Rodgers in screw sloop, USS Benicia (1868), and fought in the Salt River near Seoul, Korea. His sea tours took him to Alaska, Japan, and the Philippines in USS Saginaw (1859), to the West Indies in USS Canandaigua (1862), and on a world cruise on USS Swatara (1873).

Marriage and family
He married on January 16, 1879 at Washington, D.C., Maria Campbell Bache Wainwright, born March 14, 1856 at Washington, D.C., and died in 1925 at Jamestown, Rhode Island. She was the daughter of Sarah Franklin Bache and Richard Wainwright. She was the granddaughter of Richard Bache, Jr., who served in the Republic of Texas Navy and was elected as a Representative to the Second Texas Legislature in 1847 and Sophia Burrell Dallas, the daughter of Arabella Maria Smith and Alexander J. Dallas an American statesman who served as the U.S. Treasury Secretary under President James Madison. She was also a great-granddaughter of Sarah Franklin Bache and Richard Bache, and more notably she was the great-great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin as well as a niece of George Mifflin Dallas the 11th Vice President of the United States, serving under James K. Polk.

His brother-in-law was Admiral Richard Wainwright.

Career
After specializing in hydrographic duties for 11 years, he spent two years in the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) where he helped develop the Driggs-Schroeder rapid-fire gun. He returned to sea in 1890 as the Commanding Officer of USS Vesuvius (1888). In 1893, he began a three-year tour as ordnance officer for the Washington Navy Yard and as the recorder of the Board of Inspection and Survey; and joined the Board as a member in 1894.

Following his appointment as executive officer of the battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-2), he participated in the American blockade of Santiago, Cuba, during the Spanish–American War and was advanced three numbers in rank "for eminent and conspicuous conduct in battle" during five engagements between 31 May and 4 July 1898.

He was appointed Naval governor of Guam on 19 July 1900, and there commanded USS Yosemite (1892) and later, USS Brutus (AC-15). On 1 May 1903, Schroeder became Chief Intelligence Officer of the Navy. He assumed command of USS Virginia (BB-13) upon her first commissioning on 7 May 1906 and afterwards commanded various divisions in the Atlantic Fleet.

Promoted to Rear Admiral in 1908, he hoisted his flag on USS Connecticut (BB-18) when he took command of the Atlantic Fleet on 8 March 1909.

Two months later, Schroeder was assigned to the Navy General Board. Schroeder was placed on the retired list on 17 August 1911 and retired to his home in Jamestown, Rhode Island.

Rear Admiral Schroeder was recalled to active duty in 1912 to prepare a new signal book, and again in World War I to serve as Chief Hydrographer and the Navy representative on the United States Geographic Board. He died at the Naval Hospital, Washington, D.C., on 19 October 1922.

Namesake
In 1942, the destroyer USS Schroeder (DD-501) was named in his honor.