Gustavus Fox

Gustavus Vasa Fox (June 13, 1821 – October 29, 1883) was a U.S. Navy officer who served during the Civil War.

Biograhy

Born at Saugus, Massachusetts, and a student at Phillips Academy, Andover [1835] , Fox was appointed midshipman 12 January 1838. During the Mexican-American War, he served in the brig "Washington" in the squadron of Commodore Matthew Perry and took active part in the second expedition against Tabasco, Mexico, 14-16 January 1847, which resulted in the capture of that town. He was in command of several mail steamers and after his resignation 30 July 1856, engaged in the manufacture of woolen materials.

At the start of the American Civil War he volunteered for service. He was given a temporary appointment in the Navy and was sent in the steamer "Baltic" to the relief of Major Robert Anderson and the remnant of his command in Fort Sumter, and brought them away.

On 1 August 1861, President Abraham Lincoln appointed him Assistant Secretary of the Navy, an office which he held until the close of the Civil War. In 1866, he was sent on a special mission to Russia and conveyed the congratulations of the President of the United States to Tzar Alexander II upon his escape from assassination. His voyage was made in the monitor "Miantonomoh" which was the first vessel of this class to cross the Atlantic. They were accompanied by "Augusta".

In 1882 he made a publication suggesting Samana Cay in the Bahamas to be Guanahani, or San Salvador, the first island Christopher Columbus reached at his discovery of the Americas. Little attention was paid to it until 1986, when the National Geographic Society also appointed Samana Cay to be San Salvador.

He died at Lowell, Massachusetts, aged 62.

Two ships have been named USS "Fox" in his memory.

Publications

*Fox, Gustavus V. (1882), "An Attempt to Solve the Problem of the First Landing Place of Columbus in the New World. Report of the Superintendent of the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (Appendix No. 18, June 1880)", Washington: Government Printing Office.