George M Lowry
George was born on the 27th of October 1889, in Erie, Pennsylvania, and he received an appointment to the US Naval Academy at the age of 17. He graduated in June of 1911, and soon after he commanded the USS Niagara. The Niagara was a wooden-hulled snow-brig that was constructed to protect the American coastline on Lake Erie from the British in 1813. After the Battle of Lake Erie, most of the participating ships were destroyed as part of the treaty but the Niagara stayed as a receiving ship. It was sunk in 1820 when its naval station was closed. Now, how did George command a sunken wooden ship? Well, one hundred years after the battle, the Niagara was raised from Misery Bay and rebuilt and restored. It then did a tour of several ports on the Great Lakes from July to September of 1913 and it was during this tour that George was in command. About six months later, he was deployed to Vera Cruz in support of the Mexican Campaign and led a company of Bluejackets (armed Navy sailors) from the USS Florida into the city. It was his actions when tasked with capturing the Customs House that would later earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:
For distinguished conduct in battle, engagements of Vera Cruz, 21-22 April 1914; Ens. Lowry was in both days' fighting at the head of his company, and was eminent and conspicuous in his conduct, leading his men with skill and courage.
I have mentioned George in three other stories, those of Harry Beasley (391), George Cregan (394), and William Zuiderveld (402), because they were three of the volunteers that he had led. They had been shot at by rifles on one side of an alley and machine guns on the other when trying to take the Customs House. The Bluejackets were able to stop the firing and George called for a corpsman to help Coxswain J F Schumaker, who had been shot through the head. Zuiderveld was this corpsman and George continued up the alley with the other volunteers and took the Customs House. It is reported that during the gun fire, a bullet had hit a button on George’s hat and another had gone through his right legging, leaving him with a scratch.
George received the Medal of Honor on the 4th of December 1915, and went on to command the USS Coghlan, the USS O’Bannon, and the USS Macdonough, before leaving the Navy in 1927 after 16 years of service. He was recalled to service as a Captain a year before the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, when he was then transferred to the staff of the Commander Western Sea Frontier. He served as the operations officer and as the convoy and routing officer until retirement in September of 1946 after 22 years of service at the rank of Rear Admiral. George Maus Lowry was the last living recipient of the Mexican Campaign when he died at the age of 91 on the 25th of September 1981. He was cremated and scattered at sea, as was his request.
