Richmond Pearson Hobson

Infobox Military Person
name=Richard Pearson Hobson
born= birth date|1870|8|17
died= death date and age|1937|3|16|1870|8|17
placeofbirth= Greensboro, Alabama
placeofdeath= New York City, New York
placeofburial= Arlington National Cemetery


caption= Naval Constructor Richmond P. Hobson, 1898
nickname=
allegiance=flag|United States of America
branch=
serviceyears=
rank= Rear Admiral
commands=
unit=
battles= Spanish-American War
awards=Medal of Honor
laterwork=

Richmond Pearson Hobson (17 August 1870 – 16 March 1937) was a United States Navy Rear Admiral who served from 1905-1915 as a U.S. Representative from Alabama. A veteran of the Spanish-American War, he received the Medal of Honor years later for his part in that conflict.

Biography

He was born in Greensboro in Hale County in the western Black Belt of Alabama. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1889. He was ostracized by his fellow midshipmen for his total abstinence from alcohol and tobacco. He maintained a superb academic record and became the highest ranking midshipman: brigade commander.Shaw, Barton C. "The Hobson Craze" "United States Naval Institute Proceedings" February 1976 pp.54-60] After duty in Chicago, he underwent additional training and was appointed Assistant Naval Constructor in 1891. Hobson then served at various Navy Yards and facilities, including a tour of duty as instructor at the Naval Academy.

In the early days of Spanish-American War, he was with Admiral William T. Sampson in New York, and arrived off Santiago 1 June 1898. In order to bottle up the Spanish squadron of Admiral Pascual Cervera y Topete, Hobson took temporary command of collier "Merrimac", which he would attempt to sink as an obstruction in the channel. The attempt was made early 3 June under heavy Spanish fire, which disabled the steering gear of the collier. Hobson did sink the "Merrimac", but was unable to place her in the shallowest part of the channel. With his intrepid crew of six, he was picked up by Admiral Cervera himself, and treated quite chivalrously for his gallant expedition.

Hobson became a hero of the American press while he was a prisoner of war in Cuba. His portrait appeared in hundreds of newspapers with embellished stories of his bravery in volunteering for what was perceived as a suicide mission. A fund was raised to aid his parents in avoiding foreclosure of their mortgage. When Hobson was released during a prisoner exchange on 6 July 1898, hundreds of American troops snapped to attention, then burst into cheers as he passed. He was deluged with speaking invitations when he returned to the United States. After dining with President William McKinley, Hobson traveled west by train en route to San Francisco and the Philippines. Crowds greeted his train at many stations, and his enthusiasm for kissing admiring young women made him a sex symbol of the Victorian age.

Hobson was advanced ten numbers in grade after the war and later, in 1933, awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic attempt to block the channel. After the Spanish-American War he worked on the repairing and refitting of captured Spanish cruisers at Cavite and at various shore stations of the Navy.

One of his close friends was American genius and inventor Nikola Tesla. In later years, Hobson was the only person who was able to persuade Tesla to interrupt his intellectual pursuits for a movie gathering.

Hobson was the author of a book about the events surrounding the sinking of collier "Merrimac" in which he participated as the leader of a volunteer squad.

After resigning from active duty in 1903, Hobson remained a staunch supporter of the Navy and during his subsequent career as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Alabama, 1905-1915, was a firm advocate of naval expansion. He was denied renomination in the 1914 Democratic primary. In 1934, by special act of the United States Congress, he was advanced to Naval Constructor with a rank of Rear Admiral, and placed on the retired list. Rear Admiral Hobson died 16 March 1937 in New York City. He is interred in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Lieutenant, U.S. Navy. Born: 17 August 1870, Greensboro, Ala. Accredited to: New York. (Medal presented by President, 29 April 1933.)

Citation:

:In connection with the sinking of the U.S.S. Merrimac at the entrance to the fortified harbor of Santiago de Cuba, 3 June 1898. Despite persistent fire from the enemy fleet and fortifications on shore, Lt. Hobson distinguished himself by extraordinary courage and carried out this operation at the risk of his own personal safety.

Namesake

The destroyer USS "Hobson" (DD-464) was named in his honor.

Relations

Hobson's nephew, James Hobson Morrison, Sr., was the Democratic congressman from the Baton Rouge-centered Sixth Congressional District of Louisiana from 1943-1967. Like his uncle, Morrison too was denied Democratic renomination at the end of his congressional career.

Role in American Drug Policy

Hobson has been called "The Father of American Prohibition" [ [http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/people/hobson/captain_hobson.htm] "Ramsey, Bob: "Captain Hobson - The Father of American Prohibition", 1995"] because of his advocacy for criminalizing alcohol and other drugs. Hobson was a prolific author on this subject, writing the books Narcotic Peril (1925), The Modern Pirates-Exterminate Them (1931) and Drug Addiction: A Malignant Racial Cancer (1933). [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=dFRd2MMrtiUC&pg=PA239&lpg=PA239&dq=%22the+modern+pirates+exterminate+them%22&source=web&ots=Z38PSv_wMi&sig=x_JqwM0D9zarpFSOdwYYR18nJGk] "Davenport-Hines, Richard: "The Pursuit of Oblivion: A Global History of Narcotics," 2002"]

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Spanish-American War

Notes

References

*DANFS
*CongBio|H000667|name=HOBSON, Richmond Pearson|inline=1

External links

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h7/hobson.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Hobson"]

Persondata
NAME= Hobson, Richmond Pearson
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Navy Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH= 17 August, 1870
PLACE OF BIRTH= Greensboro, Alabama
DATE OF DEATH= 16 March, 1937
PLACE OF DEATH= New York City, New York