Charles Wilkes

Charles Wilkes (1798-1877), American naval officer and explorer, born in New York City. He joined the United States Navy as a midshipman in 1818 and became a lieutenant in 1826. In 1830 he was made head of the newly established Depot of Charts and Instruments, which became the Naval Observatory. He received command of a U.S. government expedition (1838-42) that explored the northwest coast of North America and the part of the coast of Antarctica that was later named Wilkes Land; charted almost 300 Pacific islands; and circumnavigated the globe. After his return he wrote Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition (5 volumes, 1844) and also edited 202 volumes of scientific data.

As commander of the frigate San Jacinto during the American Civil War, on November 8, 1861, he stopped at sea the British mail steamer Trent and removed from it James Murray Mason and John Slidell, the Confederate commissioners to Britain and France, respectively. This incident, the Trent affair, nearly involved the Union in a war with Britain. Additional impulsive actions caused Wilkes to be court-martialed in 1864. He was officially retired with the rank of rear admiral two years later.