Edward D. Taussig

Edward David Taussig
Captain Taussig (probably onboard Massachusetts)
Born	(1847-11-20)November 20, 1847 St. Louis, Missouri
Died	January 29, 1921(1921-01-29) (aged 73) Newport, Rhode Island
Place of burial	United States Naval Academy Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1863–1909, 1918
Rank	Rear Admiral
Commands held	Bennington Yorktown Enterprise Independence Massachusetts Indiana Fifth Naval District
Battles/wars	Civil War Spanish–American War Philippine–American War China Relief Expedition World War I
Relations	Vice Admiral Joseph K. Taussig (son); Captain Joseph K. Taussig, Jr. (grandson)

Edward David Taussig (November 20, 1847 – January 29, 1921) was a decorated Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. He is best remembered for being the officer to claim Wake Island after the Spanish–American War, as well as accepting the physical relinquishment of Guam by its indigenous governor following the Treaty of Paris in which Spain ceded Guam to the U.S. following nearly 300 years of colonial rule. Taussig briefly served as Governor of Guam. He was the first of a four-generational family of United States Naval Academy graduates including his son, Vice Admiral Joseph K. Taussig (1877–1947), grandson Captain Joseph K. Taussig, Jr. (1920–1999), and great-grandson, Captain Joseph K. Taussig USMC (1945–).

Taussig was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of a wool broker, Charles and his wife, Anna (Abeles), who had emigrated from Austria in 1840. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy during the Civil War and entered on July 23, 1863. His education over the next four years included service on the Macedonian. Graduating in June 1867 he served on the steam frigate Minnesota from July to December 1867 and thereafter variously on the Wateree, Powhatan, Onward and Resaca from January 1868 to April 1870. He was commissioned an ensign on 18 December 1868. His early sea service was perhaps most remarkable for his time as a passed midshipman on the gunboat Wateree when a tsunami washed her far inland at Arica (then part of Peru), on 13 August 1868. He was decorated for his actions during this event.