Newcomb, Frank H. (Frank Hamilton), 1846-1934

Frank Hamilton Newcomb (10 November 1846 – 19 February 1934) was a United States Revenue Cutter Service commodore, best known for his actions at the Battle of Cárdenas during the Spanish–American War.

Newcomb was born in Boston, Massachusetts, was the oldest of three children. His father, Hiram Newcomb was a merchant sea captain and Frank sailed on his father's ship at an early age. At the age of sixteen he served on another merchant ship that made an around the world trading voyage. In 1863 at the age of 17, Newcomb received a U.S. Navy officer's appointment as acting master's mate aboard the mortar schooner USS Para. As a part of the Atlantic Blockading Squadron during the American Civil War, Para served through many engagements. At the conclusion of the war, Newcomb resigned from the Navy and attempted to make a living as a merchant and as an officer on a merchant ship. He made trips to Europe and the West Coast, but due to a decline in United States merchant shipping after the war he was not able to make a living as a merchant mariner. In 1869, he began working for the Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad and later the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad.

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