Sumner Increase Kimball

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=12065317

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumner_Increase_Kimball

Sumner Increase Kimball, Sc.D. (September 2, 1834 - June 20, 1923) was the organizer of the United States Life-Saving Service and the General Superintendent of the Life-Saving Service from 1878-1915. Originally a lawyer and a legislative administrator, Kimball spent his life creating and leading the Life-Saving Service, one of the predecessor services that eventually became the US Coast Guard, transforming it from an uneven collection of facilities round the US coastline into a coherent and well-trained organization.

Kimball was born in Lebanon, Maine, raised in Sanford, Maine, graduated from Bowdoin in 1855, and admitted to the bar in 1858. He was elected to the Maine Legislature in 1859.

He became a clerk in the United States Treasury Department in 1862, and was placed in charge of the Revenue Marine Bureau there in 1871. When the Life-Saving Bureau was organized in 1878 he was appointed its head. Under his direction, the Life-Saving Service was extended to the Pacific Coast and the Great Lakes.

Kimball also served in several other positions at the Treasury Department (acting Register, acting Comptroller, acting Solicitor). He was the author of Organization and Methods of the United States Life-Saving Service (1889) and Joshua James-Life Saver (1909).

http://www.uscg.mil/history/people/Sumner_Kimball.asp

1871 to 1878 Age: 37 invited by Secretary George S Boutwell to become chief of the Revenue Cutter Service

1872 15 Apr Age: 37 Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA Appointed by President Grant a member of the board of examiners for appointments and promotions in the treasury department

1878 18 Jun Age: 43 Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA Appointed by President Hayes General Superintendent of the Life-Saving Service, the nomination was unanimously confirmed without reference to a committee; he served in this position until the US Coast Guard was formed and the Service was absorbed into it

1889 25 Feb Age: 54 Washington, District Of Columbia, District of Columbia, USA Appointed by President Cleveland to the diplomatic position of delegate on the part of the US to the international marine conference. He read a paper entitled "Organization and Methods of the United States Life-Saving Service"

Degree 1891 Age: 57 Brunswick, Cumberland, Maine, USA Bowdoin College conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Science

Occupation 1892 31 Oct Age: 58 Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA Appointed by President Harrison acting first comptroller of the treasury whenever the first comptroller and his deputy should be absent

1892 3 Nov Age: 58 Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA President Harrison appointed him acting register of the treasury, the duties of which he performed for several months

1900 7 Feb Age: 65 Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA President McKinley appointed him acting comptroller of the treasury to discharge the duties of the comptroller when necessary

1900 23 Aug Age: 65 Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA President McKinley appointed him acting solicitor of the treasury during the absence of the solicitor and assistant solicitor

TIME Magazine 1923 2 Jul TIME Milestones: Jul. 2, 1923--Died. Sumner Increase Kimball, "Father of the United States Life-Saving Service," 88, at Washington.

http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/4576260/person/6051061211

Organizer of the U.S. Life-Saving Service. Sumner Increase Kimball left his hometown of Sanford, Maine, to enter Bowdoin College at age 16. As a lawyer, in 1871 he was appointed chief of the Treasury Department's Revenue Marine Division. His investigations into shipwrecks along the Atlantic coast led to a reorganization of lifesaving methods. After the Civil War, the Revenue Marine, and the executive branch agencies generally, came under intense Congressional scrutiny. Economy was the name of the game during this time and expenditures were scrutinized across the board. Hence, Kimball decided to order the construction of new cutters not with iron hulls, which entailed considerable expense, but with proven wood hulls. The total number of petty officers and enlisted men was substantially cut and their pay reduced. Kimball also carried out a vigorous "housecleaning" of incompetent Revenue Marine officers and saw to it that discipline was tightened. A special object of his censure was the use of cutters as personal yachts by local Custom officials, a wide-spread abuse during that time. Kimball also put into effect a merit system to determine promotions. He also made one other great contribution to the quality of the Revenue Marine by establishing, in 1877, a School of Instruction, to train young officers. From this move developed today's Coast Guard Academy, which still trains the majority of the Coast Guard's career officers. But his greatest impact came with his work with what would become the U.S. Life-Saving Service.Since 1848 Congress had been funding strictly volunteer stations, paying for the station and its equipment but relying on the local community to provide unpaid crews when needed. Kimball drew up regulations that set standards for personnel performance, physical standards and station routines. He convinced a parsimonious Congress to increase the funding of the Service to provide for full-time, paid crews, led under the direction of an appointed keeper. New stations were constructed around the coast and were equipped with the finest lifesaving equipment available. In 1878, this growing network of stations was organized as a separate agency of the Treasury Department and was named the U.S. Life-Saving Service. Kimball was chosen as the General Superintendent of the new service. He served in that capacity during the entire existence of the Life-Saving Service until it was merged with the Revenue Cutter Service in 1915 to form the new U.S. Coast Guard. (Source: U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office, History of Sanford, Maine) (bio by: Paul Auger)

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Kimball&GSfn=...

http://www.uscg.mil/history/people/Sumner_Kimball.asp

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Oct 13 2017, 23:23:02 UTC