Gideon Welles, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Gideon Welles

United States Secretary of the Navy

Date of Birth: 01-Jul-1802

Place of Birth: Glastonbury, Connecticut, United States

Date of Death: 11-Feb-1878

Profession: lawyer, politician, editor, journalist

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Gideon Welles (July 1, 1802 – February 11, 1878), nicknamed "Father Neptune", was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869, a cabinet post he was awarded after supporting Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election.
Although opposed to the Union blockade of Southern ports, he duly carried out his part of the Anaconda Plan, largely sealing off the Confederate coastline and preventing the exchange of cotton for war supplies.
This is viewed as a major cause of Union victory in the Civil War, and his achievement in expanding the Navy almost tenfold was widely praised.
Welles was also instrumental in the Navy's creation of the Medal of Honor.