Ship's Corporal James Thayer, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, received the Medal of Honor for gallantry on November 16, 1879 in Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia — a peacetime act of courage recognized in the Interim 1871 - 1899 period. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Constitution. Thayer was about 26 years old.
Thayer was born in 1853 in Ireland — one of 258 recipients born in Ireland. His Medal of Honor is credited to Pennsylvania. Thayer died on April 16, 1886 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the age of about 33. He is buried at Old Cathedral Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Official Medal of Honor citation
For rescuing from drowning a boy serving with him on the U.S.S. Constitution, at the Navy Yard, Norfolk, Va., 16 November 1879.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Places
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Timeline
- 1853Born in Ireland
- November 16, 1879Act of valor — Norfolk Navy Yard, VirginiaAge about 26. U.S.S. Constitution
- April 16, 1886Died in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaAge about 33.
- Resting placeOld Cathedral CemeteryPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Biography
James Thayer (c. 1853–1886) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Born in about 1853 in Ireland, Thayer immigrated to the United States and joined the Navy from Pennsylvania. By November 16, 1879, he was serving as a ship's corporal on the USS Constitution. On that day, while Constitution was at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia, he rescued a young shipmate from drowning. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor five years later, on October 18, 1884. Thayer's official Medal of Honor citation reads: For rescuing from drowning a boy serving with him on the U.S.S.
From the Wikipedia article “James Thayer (Medal of Honor)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →