Thomas Jefferson Cowie

Thomas Jefferson Cowie
Actress Mary Pickford and Rear Admiral Thomas Jefferson Cowie in 1919
Born	(1857-02-15)February 15, 1857 Montezuma, Iowa
Died	July 16, 1936(1936-07-16) (aged 79) Washington, D.C.
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1878–1921
Rank	Rear Admiral
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Navy Cross

Thomas Jefferson Cowie (February 15, 1857 – July 16, 1936) was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy whose active-duty career included serving as Navy Paymaster General and Chief of the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts (BuSandA). Following his retirement, he headed the Navy's Liberty Loans program and was secretary-treasurer of the Navy Mutual Aid Association.

Biography

Cowie was born at Montezuma, Iowa in 1857. He served as engineer's yeoman in USS Alliance from January 8, 1877 to October 19, 1878, then enlisted in the Navy October 21, 1878 at Constantinople.

He was commissioned as assistant paymaster from June 16, 1880, rising to the rank of Rear Admiral and the position of Paymaster General and Chief of the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts July 1, 1910.

Rear Admiral Cowie was awarded the Navy Cross for his valuable services in connection with the Liberty Loans of World War I. Retired from the Navy on February 15, 1921, he was ordered to special duty in charge of the Navy Liberty Loan section of the Navy Allotment Office in March 1921, and in June 1923 was ordered to additional duty as secretary-treasurer of the Navy Mutual Aid Association, a position which he held until his death on July 16, 1936 in Washington, D.C.

Namesake

The destroyer USS Cowie (DD-632) was named in his honor.

Gallery

• Cowie as a lieutenant commander, seated on the left in the second row in this photograph of the officers of the protected cruiser USS Chicago, ca. 1903.
  Cowie as a lieutenant commander, seated on the left in the second row in this photograph of the officers of the protected cruiser USS Chicago, ca. 1903.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• arlingtoncemetery.net : Thomas J. Cowie, Rear Admiral, USN