Naval officer; born in New York City, April 3, 1798; nephew of
John Wilkes, the eminent English politician; entered the navy in 1818.
In 1830 he was appointed to the department of charts and instruments.
He was appointed commander of a squadron of five vessels that sailed from
Norfolk, Va., Aug. 18, 1838, on an exploring expedition, and for his discoveries during that cruise
Wilkes received a gold medal from the London Geographical Society.
He returned to New York in June, 1842.
In 1861 he was sent to the
West Indies, in the frigate
San Jacinto, to look after the Confederate cruiser
Sumter, when he fell in with the British steamer
Trent and took from her
James M. Mason and
John Slidell (q. v.), and conveyed them to
Boston, for which he was thanked by Congress and received popular applause.
But the
President finally disapproved his act, as a stroke of state policy.
In 1862 he commanded the flotilla on the
James River, with the rank of commodore; and afterwards in command of a squadron in the
West Indies, captured many blockade-runners.
He was retired in 1864 and promoted rear-admiral in 1866.
He died in
Washington, D. C., Feb. 8, 1877.
His publications include a
Narrative of his exploring expedition, and
Western America, including California and Oregon.
