Adolph E. Borie
| Adolph Edward Borie | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 25th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
|
In office March 9, 1869 – June 25, 1869 |
|
| President | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Preceded by | Gideon Welles |
| Succeeded by | George M. Robeson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 25, 1809 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US |
| Died | February 5, 1880 (aged 70) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| Profession | Politician |
Adolph Edward Borie (November 25, 1809 – February 5, 1880) was a United States merchant and politician who briefly served (1869) as Secretary of the Navy in the Ulysses S. Grant administration. A native of Philadelphia Borie was born into a successful merchantile trade business of his father. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Borie traveled abroad in 1825, returning to the United States in 1828 to enter his father's merchantile firm, his career lasting the next thirty years. As a Whig Party supporter Borie favored tariffs to protect his worldwide business interests. Joining the Republican Party, Borie supported Abraham Lincoln for President. When the Civil War broke out Borie supported the Union war effort and became a close associate to General Ulysses S. Grant. When Grant was elected President in 1868, he appointed Borie to Secretary of Navy on March 5, 1869 one day after his Inauguration. Borie served only a few months in office before quietly retiring, claiming that the job was to demanding and that he was in frail health. During his brief tenor Borie controversially renamed many naval ships and he allowed Vice Admiral David Porter to de facto run the Navy Department. Borie was known for supporting workers by enforcing full pay for an eight-hour work day and for desegregating the Washington Navy Yard, allowing African Americans to freely work alongside whites. After his retirement Borie returned to his business interests. He remained close friends with Grant and accompanied Grant on his famous world tour starting in 1877 and returning to the United States in 1879. In poor health after his travels Borie died on February 5, 1880.
Borie was born in Philadelphia on November 25, 1809 the eldest of 12 children. He was the son of a French emigrant John Joseph Borie, a merchant and manufacturer, who settled in Philadelphia. His mother was Sophia Beauveau a Haitian refugee. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, graduated in 1825, toured Europe, and in 1828 entered his father's merchantile firm. Silk and tea were the emphasized trade commodities during his 30-year tenure in the firm during the epoch of the clipperships. Borie's firm did trade business with Mexico, the West Indies, and the Far East when Philadelphia foreign trade was at it zenith. Borie was a pioneer in lobbying the federal government for diplomatic and naval support in protecting his business abroad. The magnitude of his business was enormous, identified by $100,000 in property damages incurred during the 1857-58 disturbances of the Second Opium War in China. From 1848 to 1860 Borie was President of The Bank of Commerce, and he became the director of several leading business ventures in Philadelphia.
...
Wikipedia