Edward Buttevant Barry (October 20, 1849 – November 27, 1938) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. A popular and mostly successful sailor, Barry took part in the Spanish–American and Philippine–American wars and commanded various ships, including the and .
In November 1910, Barry was appointed as Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet. He served there until January 1911, when a scandal erupted due to his suspected homosexuality. Despite his request for an early retirement being accepted, pressure from his subordinates and President William Howard Taft led Barry to resign "for the good of the service".
Early life
Edward B. Barry was born on October 20, 1849, as the second son in an Irish Catholic family in New York City. His father, Garrett Robert Barry, was a successful Navy purser, who served as paymaster for the New York Navy Yard (now the Brooklyn Navy Yard) during the American Civil War. He studied at St. Francis Xavier College in New York City before entering the United States Naval Academy on July 21, 1865, through being an officer's son. Barry's stay at the naval academy was mediocre, being demerited for various incidents, including "very disorderly humming" and reading a newspaper during fencing lessons. Nevertheless, following three practice cruises aboard the and , Barry graduated on June 4, 1869, 48th in his 74-man class.
Naval career
Early career
A year following his graduation to midshipman in 1869, Barry was promoted to ensign. Following a special cruise aboard the , his first mission was aboard , delivering humanitarian supplies to France during the Franco-Prussian War. Despite his undistinguished performance in the naval academy, Barry proved to be a capable officer, rapidly rising through the ranks of the Navy. In 1875, Barry was selected for a position on a board reorganizing the Navy training system, a role considered impressive for a 26-year-old officer.
Barry was aboard the during the blockade of Callao in 1880, witnessing the scuttling of Peruvian Navy ships and . Following various stints in the Asiatic Squadron, South Atlantic Squadron, and the Office of Naval Intelligence, war with Spain was looming. In 1897 Barry was promoted to lieutenant commander, and on August 2 of that year was transferred to the , serving as her executive officer. He took part in the United States' first attack of the Spanish–American War on April 27, 1898, bombarding Spanish artillery batteries at the entrance of the harbor of Matanzas. Barry took part in the blockades of Havana and Puerto Rico, as well as negotiating with Manuel Macías y Casado, the Governor-General of Puerto Rico, for an armistice.
As commanding officer
Following the end of the war, Barry was assigned his first command role aboard the collier , stationed in the New York Navy Yard. Shortly after, he was promoted to commander, and in March 1900 took command of the recently recommissioned , taking her on a short spell in the Atlantic before moving to the Asiatic station. In the Philippine–American War, Barry's Vicksburg took part in an expedition to Palawan, led by Frederick Funston, in order to capture Filipino president Emilio Aguinaldo. The mission was a major success, with the capture being made on March 23, 1901. Five days later, the Vicksburg returned to U.S.-held Malacañang Palace with Funston and Aguinaldo on board. The accomplishment further strengthened Barry's reputation, and he was commended by General Arthur MacArthur Jr. for his conduct in the operation.
After the conclusion of the war, Vicksburg switched her focus to East Asia, moving between China, Japan, and Korea. In January 1902, while docked at Nieu-Chwang (now Yingkou), multiple fights erupted between garrisoned Russian soldiers and American sailors from the Vicksburg, leading to Russian ambassador to China Paul M. Lessar submitting a complaint to his American counterpart Edwin H. Conger. Following further investigation by Barry, he came to the conclusion the Russian garrison was at fault, and demanded reparation from Russia, with an apology being subsequently given.