John Mercer Brooke
Born: December 18, 1826
Birthplace: Tampa, Florida
Father: General George Mercer Brooke 1785 – 1851
Mother: Lucy Thomas
1st Wife: Mary Elizabeth Selden Garnett 1826 -
2nd Wife: Catherine Carter “Kate” Corbin Pendleton 1839 – 1919
(Buried: Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery, Lexington, Virginia)
Children:
Anna Maria Brooke 1856 – 1885
George Mercer Brooks II 1875 – 1945
Rosa Johnston Brooke 1876 -
Richard Corbin Brooke 1878 – 1879
Education:
Graduated from United States Naval Academy in 1847
Occupation before War:
Served in the United States Navy rising to the rank of Lieutenant in 1855
Helped chart the Stars
Helped take sounds of the Ocean's Bottom Floor
Perfected a deep sea Sounding Device
Charted the Underwater Mountain Ridge
Served in Exploratory missions in the Pacific Ocean
Helped with Instruction for the Japanese Navy
1861: In April, Mercer resigned his commission from United States Navy
Civil War Career:
1861 - In June, Mercer began to study and experiment with artillery projectiles and rifled guns, including armor-piercing bolts for the Confederate Navy.
Helped Convert the USS Merrimac, into the CSS Virginia ironclad
Helped with development of a new rifled gun for Confederate Navy
Commander in the Confederate States Navy
Chief of the Confederate Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, & Hydrography
Helped organize and Establish the Confederate States Naval Academy
Occupation after War:
1865 – 1899: Professor at Virginia Military Institute
Died: December 14, 1906
Place of Death: Lexington, Virginia
Age at time of Death: 79 years old
Burial Place: Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery, Lexington, Virginia
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