William W. Wood

William Willis Wiley Wood (May 30, 1818 – August 31, 1882) was an engineer of the United States Navy, who served as Engineer-in-Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering from 1873 until 1877.

William W. Wood
Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering
In office
March 31, 1873 – March 3, 1877 (1873-03-31 – 1877-03-03)
Preceded byJames Wilson King
Succeeded byWilliam Henry Shock
Personal details
Born
William Willis Wiley Wood

(1818-05-30)May 30, 1818
Wake County, North Carolina
DiedAugust 31, 1882(1882-08-31) (aged 64)
off Point Lookout, Maryland
Resting placeOak Hill Cemetery
Washington, D.C., U.S.
SpouseFanny Henderson
Children8
Military service
Allegiance United States
BranchUnited States Navy
Years of service1845–1880
RankEngineer-in-chief
ConflictAmerican Civil War

Biography

Wood was born in Wake County, North Carolina, and after graduation obtained a position at the West Point Foundry.[1]

He was appointed to the Navy from New York on March 15, 1845, with the rank of chief engineer.[2][3] He spent his first two years in the navy stationed at the Pensacola Navy Yard, Florida.[2] He briefly did special duty at Boston, and then from 1850 to 1853, served on the paddle-sloop Saranac in the Home Squadron.[2]

From 1854 to 1857, Wood superintended the constructions of the engines of the screw-frigate Merrimack at Cold Spring, New York.[2] His next appointment was for two years serving in the screw-sloop Lancaster on the Pacific Squadron.[2] From 1862 to 1866, Wood spent most of his time on special duty in Philadelphia, New York and Boston.[2] Wood was assigned to the United States Naval Academy from 1866 to 1867.[2] Wood was Inspector of Machinery Afloat in New York from 1870 to 1872.[2]

Wood was promoted to engineer-in-chief in 1872,[2] and was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering on March 20, 1873,[3][4] his successor was appointed on March 3, 1877.[3] Wood was assigned to special duty in 1878,[2] and was placed on the retired list on May 31, 1880.[3]

Death
Grave of Wood at Oak Hill Cemetery

On August 31, 1882, Wood was drowned in a boating accident off Point Lookout, Maryland.[2] He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.[5]

Family

At the time of his death, Wood was married and had six children:

  • Fanny Henderson, wife of Lt. Conway Hillyer Arnold, USN
  • Mary Eliza, wife of Lt. Eugene DeForest Heald, USN
  • Leiley Weir, wife of Lt. Charles Allston Stone, USN
  • Lt. Thomas Newton Wood, USN
  • Emily Grace, wife of Lt. Henry Frick Reich, USN
  • Master Francis Gregory Wood

Two more, William Willis Wood and Charles Gillespie Wood, had died young.

See also

References
  1. "Chief-Engineer W. W. Wood". Harper's Weekly. VIII (413): 764. November 26, 1864. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  2. "Chief Engineer Wood drowned" (PDF). The New York Times. September 2, 1882. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  3. "Officers of the Continental and US Navy and Marine Corps 1775–1900 (W)". Naval Historical Center. 2006. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  4. "Bureau of Steam Engineering – Lists of Commanding Officers and Senior Officials of the US Navy". Navy Department Library. 2006. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  5. "Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown, D.C. (Van Ness) - Lot 178 East" (PDF). Oak Hill Cemetery. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
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