Flag Assignments 1890-1900
The following is a partial list of the assignments of US Navy flag officers (Commodores and Rear Admirals)
between 1890 and 1900. For the most part, only line officers are listed. Gaps indicate either a lack of data,
or that a non-flag officer held the assignment. An asterisk (*) after a name indicates the officer achieved flag
rank while in that assignment, the dates listed are those he held the position at flag rank. Please note that in
some cases multiple officers are listed as holding the same positions at the same time. For some, this is
because one officer was assigned to command a distant station as of a given date but had to travel before
actually taking up his new command. Dates listed are, as far as I know, dates of being assigned a duty, not of
actually assuming command. This list is based in large part on William Cogars Dictionary of Admirals
of the U.S. Navy.
NAVY YARDS AND STATIONS
Commandant, Navy
Yard, Boston/Navy Yard and Station,
Commodore Joseph P. Fyffe July 1893-July 1894
Rear Admiral Joseph P. Fyffe July 1894
Commodore Joseph N. Miller August 1894-March 1897
Rear Admiral Joseph N. Miller March 1897-May 1897
Commodore Henry L. Howison May 1897-September 1898
Rear Admiral Henry L. Howison October 1898-March 1899
Rear Admiral Henry F. Picking March 1899-September 1899
Rear Admiral William T. Sampson October 1899-October 1901
Commandant, Navy
Yard, League Island/Navy Yard and Station,
Commodore William A. Kirkland* June 1893-February 1894
Commodore John A. Howell June 1896-January 1898
Commodore Silas Casey* May 1898-January 1901
Commandant, Navy
Yard, Mare Island/Navy Yard and Station,
Commodore Andrew E. K. Benham March 1889-February 1890
Rear Admiral Andrew E. K. Benham February 1890-June 1891
Rear Admiral John Irwin June 1891-May 1893
Rear Admiral William A. Kirkland June 1896-July 1898
Commodore James C. Watson October 1898-March 1899
Rear Admiral James C. Watson March 1899-May 1899
Rear Admiral Louis Kempff May 1899-March 1900
Rear Admiral Merrill Miller* July 1900-July 1903
Commandant, Navy
Yard,
Rear Admiral Daniel L. Braine November 1889-May 1891
Commodore Henry Erben* April 1892-May 1893
Rear Admiral Bancroft Gherardi June 1893-November 1894
Commodore
Rear Admiral Montgomery Sicard April 1897-May 1897
Commodore John W. Philip January 1899-March 1899
Rear Admiral John W. Philip March 1899-June 1900
Rear Admiral Albert S. Barker July 1900-April 1903
Captain of the Yard, Navy Yard,
Rear Admiral George W. Sumner* March 1899-April 1899
Commandant, Navy
Yard, Norfolk/Navy Yard and Station,
Commodore Aaron W. Weaver January 1890-January 1893
Commodore George Brown July 1893-September 1893
Rear Admiral George Brown September 1893-June 1897
Commodore
Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral Albert S. Barker October 1899-July 1900
Rear Admiral Charles C. Cotton July 1900-April 1903
Commandant, Navy
Yard, Portsmouth/Navy Yard and Station,
Commodore Joseph S. Skerrett October 1889-September 1890
Commodore Charles C. Carpenter* May 1893-January 1894
Commodore
Commodore George C. Remey* June 1897-April 1898
Rear Admiral (ret) Charles C. Carpenter April 1898-August 1898
Commodore George C. Remey August 1898-November 1898
Rear Admiral George C. Remey November 1898-March 1900
Rear Admiral Bartlett J. Cromwell March 1900-April 1901
Captain of the Yard, Navy Yard,
Commodore Henry B. Robeson* February 1898-March 1898
Commandant, Navy
Yard, Washington
Commodore Joseph S. Skerrett September 1890-December 1892
Commodore John A. Howell* May 1895-June 1896
Commodore Charles S. Norton May 1896-February 1898
Rear Admiral Charles S. Norton February 1898-October 1898
Rear Admiral Alexander H. McCormick* September 1899-March 1900
Rear Admiral Silas W. Terry March 1900-May 1903
Commandant, Naval
Base,
Commodore George C. Remey May 1898-August 1898
Commander, Naval
Station,
Commodore
Rear Admiral Bartlett J. Cromwell March 1899-November 1899
Commander, Naval
Station,
Commodore Joseph P. Fyffe June 1891-June 1893
Rear Admiral (ret) Oscar F. Stanton April 1898-October 1898
Commander, Naval
Station,
Commodore Oscar F. Stanton* May 1891-June 1891
Commodore Albert Kautz October 1897-October 1898
Commander, Naval
Station,
Commodore Lester A. Beardslee* January 1894-July 1894
Rear Admiral George W. Sumner June 1899-January 1901
STATIONS/SQUADRONS/FLEETS
Commander, Asiatic
Station/Squadron
Rear Admiral George E. Belknap April 1889-February 1892
Rear Admiral David B. Harmony February 1892-June 1893
Commodore Joseph S. Skerrett December 1893-July 1894
Commodore Charles C. Carpenter August 1894-November 1894
Rear Admiral Charles C. Carpenter November 1894-November 1895
Commodore George Dewey January 1898-May 1898
Rear Admiral George Dewey May 1898-March 1899
Admiral of the Navy George Dewey March 1899-October 1899
Rear admiral James C. Watson June 1899-April 1900
Rear Admiral George C. Remey April 1900-May 1902
Senior Squadron Commander, Asiatic Station
Rear Admiral Louis Kempff May 1900-March 1902
Junior Squadron Commander, Asiatic Station
Rear Admiral Louis Kempff April 1900-May 1900
Commander, European
Station
Commodore Henry Erben June 1893-July 1894
Rear Admiral Henry Erben July 1894-August 1894
Commodore William A. Kirkland April 1894-February 1895
Rear Admiral William A. Kirkland March 1895-November 1895
Acting Rear Admiral Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr. November 1895-February 1896
Rear Admiral Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr. February 1896-February 1898
Commodore John A Howell January 1898-April 1898
Commander,
Rear Admiral Bancroft Gherardi February 1899-September 1892
Acting Rear Admiral John G. Walker September 1892-Decembr 1892
Rear Admiral Andrew E. K. Benham June 1893-April 1894
Acting Rear Admiral Oscar F. Stanton January 1894-July 1894
Rear Admiral Oscar F. Stanton July 1894-August 1894
Commodore Richard W. Meade August 1894-September 1894
Rear Admiral Richard W. Meade September 1894-May 1895
Rear Admiral Montgomery Sicard May 1897-March 1898
Acting Rear Admiral William T. Sampson* April 1898-August 1898
Rear Admiral John A. Howell August 1898 (acting)
Acting Rear Admiral William T. Sampson September 1898-March 1899
Rear Admiral William T. Sampson March 1899-October 1899
Rear Admiral
Commander, 1st Squadron,
Commodore John A. Howell April 1898-August 1898
Rear Admiral John A. Howell August 1898-October 1898
Commander, 2nd Squadron,
Commodore Winfield S. Schley June 1898-July 1898
Commodore John C. Watson June 1898-September 1898 (see notes)
Commodore John W. Philip September 1898-January 1899
Commander, Pacific
Station
Acting Rear Admiral George Brown January 1890-January 1893
Commodore Joseph S. Skerrett January 1893-October 1893
Rear Admiral John Irwin June 1893-April 1894
Rear Admiral John G. Walker March 1894-December 1894
Commodore Lester A. Beardslee July 1894-May 1895
Rear Admiral Lester A. Beardslee May 1895-August 1897
Rear Admiral Joseph N. Miller May 1897-October 1898
Commodore Albert Kautz October 1898-December 1898
Rear Admiral Albert Kautz December 1898-January 1901
Commander,
Rear Admiral Andrew E. K. Benham June 1892-May 1893
Acting Rear Admiral Oscar F. Stanton July 1893-October 1893
Acting Rear Admiral Charles S. Norton January 1895-April 1896
Rear Admiral Henry L. Howison March 1899-October 1899
Rear Admiral Winfield S. Schley November 1899-April 1901
Commander, Flying
Squadron
Commodore Winfield S. Schley April 1898-June 1898
Commander, Naval
Review Fleet
Rear Admiral Bancroft Gherardi March 1893-May 1893
Commander, Special
Squadron, International Review
Rear Admiral Bancroft Gherardi September 1892-February 1893
Commander, Squadron
of Evolution
Acting Rear Admiral John G. Walker October 1889-September 1892
In Charge, Patrol
Fleet, US Coast
Rear Admiral Henry Erben, ret. April1 898-July 1898
BOARDS AND PANELS
Head, Board of
Inspection
Admiral David D. Porter March 1877-February 1891
President, Board of
Inspection and Survey
Rear Admiral James E. Jouett June 1886-February 1890
Rear Admiral Lewis A. Kimberley March 1890-April 1892
Rear Admiral George E. Belknap April 1892-January 1894
Commodore George Dewey* February 1896-November 1897
Commodore Frederick Rodgers* December 1898-March 1899
Rear Admiral Frederick Rodgers March 1899-February 1901
President, Board to
Examine Naval and Merchant Vessels
Commodore Joseph P. Fyffe October 1890-June 1891
Chairman,
Rear Admiral John G,
President, General
Board
Admiral of the Navy George Dewey March 1900-January 1917
President, Isthmian
Canal Commission
Rear Admiral John G,
Chairman, Lighthouse
Board
Rear Admiral David B. Harmony March 1889-May 1891
Commodore James A. Greer May 1891-????
Rear Admiral John G. Walker December 1894-March 1897
Commodore Winfield S. Schley* February 1898-March 1898
President, Naval
Examining and Retiring Boards
Commodore William P. McCann August 1891-???
Commodore Aaron W. Weaver January 1893-June 1893
Rear Admiral Aaron W. Weaver June 1893-September 1893
Commodore Richard W. Meade September 1893-August 1894
Commodore Albert Kautz April 1897-October 1897
Rear Admiral Lester A. Beardslee August 1897-January 1898
Rear Admiral Edmund O. Matthews March 1898-April 1899
President, Naval
Examining Board
Commodore Aaron W. Weaver ???-January 1890
Rear Admiral Lewis A. Kimberley February 1890-April 1892
Rear Admiral John A. Howell November 1898-October1900
Rear Admiral James C. Watson December 1900-July 1902
President, Naval Retiring
Board
Commodore Aaron W. Weaver ???-January 1890
Rear Admiral John A. Howell November 1898-March 1902
Rear Admiral Bartlett J. Cromwell November 1899-March 1900
Rear Admiral Charles C. Cotton March 1900-July 1900
Governor, Naval Home,
Commodore Oscar F. Stanton July 1891-July 1893
Commodore John C. Watson* November 1897-April 1898
BUREAU CHIEFS (see notes)
Chief, Bureau of
Construction and Repair
Commodore Philip Hichborn July 1893-March 1899
Rear Admiral Philip Hichborn March 1899-March 1901
Chief, Bureau of
Equipment and Recruiting
Commodore George Dewey August 1889-June 1893
Chief, Bureau of
Medicine and Surgery
Commodore James R. Tryon September 1893-September 1897
Commodore William K. Van Reypen* October 1897-March 1899
Rear Admiral William K. Van Reypen March 1899-January 1902
Chief, Bureau of
Navigation
Commodore Francis M. Ramsay November 1889-April 1894
Rear Admiral Francis M. Ramsay April 1894-April 1897
Chief, Bureau of Steam
Engineering
Commodore George W. Melville August 1887-March 1899
Rear Admiral George W. Melville March 1899-August 1903
Chief, Bureau of
Supplies and Accounts (previously Provisions and Clothing)
Commodore Edwin Stewart May 1890-March 1899
Rear Admiral Edwin Stewart March 1899-May 1899
Rear Admiral Albert S. Kenny* December 1899-July 1903
Chief, Bureau of
Yards and Docks
Commodore
Commodore Edmund O. Matthews March 1894-June 1897
Rear Admiral Edmund O. Matthews June 1897-March 1898
Commodore Mordecai T. Endicott April 1898-March 1899
Rear Admiral Mordecai T. Endicott March 1899-January 1907
Notes: Bureau Chiefs held rank of Commodore or Rear Admiral during
tenure in office if of lower rank when appointed. Reverted to regular rank upon reassignment.
Commodore Watson is listed in Cogar as commanding the 1st Squadron of the
North Atlantic Fleet in 1898, but the dates make it more logical that he commanded
the 2nd Squadron, so that is where I have listed him for now.