Richard Wainwright (World War I naval officer)

Richard Wainwright
Wainwright as a U.S. Naval Academy midshipman
Nickname(s)	Dick
Born	(1881-09-15)September 15, 1881 Washington, D.C.
Died	March 28, 1944(1944-03-28) (aged 62) Annapolis, Maryland
Place of burial	United States Naval Academy Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1903-1921
Rank	Commander
Commands held	Landing force from the USS Florida (BB-30)
Battles/wars	Veracruz (1914)
Awards	Medal of Honor
Relations	son of Admiral Richard Wainwright

Commander Richard Wainwright, Jr. (September 15, 1881 – March 28, 1944), was an officer in the United States Navy during World War I who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the 1914 Veracruz action.

Born in Washington, D.C., the son of Evelyn Wotherspoon and Richard Wainwright. He was the grandson of Sarah Franklin Bache and Richard Wainwright. He was the great-grandson of Richard Bache, Jr., who served in the Republic of Texas navy and was elected to serve in the Texas legislature and Sophia Burrell Dallas, the daughter of Arabella Maria Smith and Alexander J. Dallas an American statesman who served as the U.S. Treasury Secretary under President James Madison. He was also great-great-grandson of Sarah Franklin Bache and Richard Bache, and a great-great-great-grandson of Benjamin Franklin.

His uncle was Admiral Seaton Schroeder.

He was appointed "at large" from the District of Columbia to the United States Naval Academy and graduated from there in 1902. For his two-year required Midshipman sea duty, he served on board USS Indiana and USS Chauncey, where he was commissioned an Ensign in May 1904. In December 1905, he returned to sea on board USS Texas then transferred to USS Louisiana. Remaining at sea, Wainwright received orders to USS Connecticut, where he served during that ship's participation in the voyage of the Great White Fleet around the world from 1907 to 1909.