Breese, Kidder Randolph, 1831-1881

Kidder Randolph Breese was born on April 14, 1831, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and became a United States Navy midshipman on November 6, 1846. He was stationed on the USS Saratoga in 1847, and he served onboard during the Mexican-American War. He moved to the Brandywine in 1848 as an aide to Commodore Jacob J. Storer and traveled along the Brazilian, Uruguayan, and Argentinean coasts until December 1850. On June 8, 1852, he became a warrant officer and was attached to the Mississippi, which accompanied Commodore Matthew Perry to Japan. During the Civil War, Breese served in the Union Navy, earning a promotion to lieutenant commander on July 16, 1862. Following the war, he served in a number of administrative positions, commanded the Plymouth (1870-1872), and received a captain's commission (August 9, 1874). He died in Newport, Rhode Island, on September 13, 1881. His wife, Martha I. Curtin, survived him.

From the guide to the Kidder Randolph Breese logbook, Breese, Kidder Randolph logbook, 1847-1850, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)

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