Michael A. Healy
U.S. Revenue Cutter Service officer (1839–1904) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Michael Augustine Healy (September 22, 1839 – August 30, 1904) was an American career officer with the United States Revenue Cutter Service (predecessor of the United States Coast Guard), reaching the rank of captain. He has been recognized since the late 20th century as the first man of African-American descent to command a ship of the United States government.
Michael A. Healy | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | "Hell Roaring Mike" |
Born | (1839-09-22)September 22, 1839 Jones County, Georgia, U.S. |
Died | August 30, 1904(1904-08-30) (aged 64) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Buried | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | U.S. Revenue Cutter Service |
Years of service | 1865–1903 |
Rank | Captain (USRCS)[Note 1] |
Commands held | USRC Rush USRC Corwin USRC Bear USRC McCulloch USRC Thetis |
Alma mater | College of the Holy Cross (AB) |
He commanded several vessels within the territory of the Alaskan coastline.[4]
Following U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward's Alaska purchase of the vast region in 1867, Healy patrolled the 20,000 miles (32,000 km) of Alaskan coastline for more than 20 years, earning great respect from the natives and seafarers alike. After commercial fishing had depleted the whale and seal populations, his assistance with the introduction of Siberian reindeer helped prevent starvation among the Alaskan Natives. The author Jack London was inspired by Healy's command of the renowned USRC Bear. It had a thick wooden hull, and was powered by steam-and-sail for use as a proto-icebreaker; it was put into service as a cutter in 1884.[5] Nicknamed "Hell Roaring Mike", Healy was the fifth of 10 children of the Healy family of Georgia, known for their achievements in the North after being born into slavery. Their parents were an Irish-born planter and his African-American mixed-race slave, with whom he had a common-law marriage. His father arranged for the children to be formally educated at boarding schools in the North. Predominately European in ancestry, they identified as Irish Catholics. USCGC Healy, commissioned in 1999, was named in his honor.[5]