James C. Dobbin

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James Cochran Dobbin
22nd United States Secretary of the Navy
In office March 8, 1853 – March 4, 1857
Preceded by	John P. Kennedy
Succeeded by	Isaac Toucey
Born	January 17, 1814(1814-01-17) Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	August 4, 1857 (aged 43) Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Profession	Politician, Lawyer

James Cochran Dobbin (January 17, 1814 – August 4, 1857) was a nineteenth century politician and lawyer who served as United States Secretary of the Navy from 1853 to 1857.

Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1814, the grandson of congressman James Cochran, Dobbin attended Fayetteville Academy and the William Bingham School and later went on to graduate from the University of North Carolina in 1832. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1835, commencing practice in Fayetteville.

Dobbin later got involved in politics and was elected a Democrat to the twenty-ninth congress, serving from 1845 to 1847. He later served in the North Carolina House of Commons in 1848, 1850 and 1852, also serving as speaker of the house in 1850.

In 1852, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention where he helped secure the nomination of dark horse candidate Franklin Pierce for the presidency. Pierce appointed Dobbin United States Secretary of the Navy as a reward for his work in the presidential campaign. A firm believer in a strong Navy as an insurance for peace, Dobbin instituted reforms throughout the Navy. Eighteen of the finest ships of their class in the world were built during his tenure as Navy secretary. Under his auspices, the Perry expedition to Japan was carried to a successful termination and the treaty with that country signed. He ordered U.S. Navy Lieutenant Isaac Strain to command an U.S. Darién Exploring Expedition to map and survey the Darién Gap for a Panama Canal to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

After his term as Navy secretary expired in 1857, Dobbin returned to Fayetteville where he eventually died later that year. He was interned at Cross Creek Cemetery in Fayetteville. The USS Dobbin (AD-3), a ship present at the attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was named in his honor.

[edit] External links

• James C. Dobbin at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• James C. Dobbin at Find A Grave

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v • d • e Cabinet of President Franklin Pierce (1853-1857) Vice President William R. King (1853) Secretary of State William L. Marcy (1853-1857) Secretary of the Treasury James Guthrie (1853-1857) Secretary of War Jefferson Davis (1853-1857) Attorney General Caleb Cushing (1853-1857) Postmaster General James Campbell (1853-1857) Secretary of the Navy James C. Dobbin (1853-1857) Secretary of the Interior Robert McClelland (1853-1857)

This article includes public domain text from the Naval Historical Center.