James Orville Gawne, son of Leverett and Elizabeth Gawne of Fredonia, New York, was born on October 4, 1883. He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1901 and graduated in the class of 1905. He served as a midshipman and assistant naval constructor before ending his career as a captain. In early 1905, Gawne was ordered to serve on the USS Olympia at Guantánamo, Cuba. Along with several other graduates, he traveled to the Caribbean on board the steamship Joseph di Giorgio . On arrival, he became midshipman aboard the Olympia . Gawne spent months on the ship, cruising around Cuba. In March 1906, he began service aboard the USS Cleveland . He was later stationed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York, and at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California. He and his wife Jane had at least 2 children: Christian and James. James Orville Gawne died on August 22, 1977.
From the guide to the James O. Gawne report book, Gawne, James O. report book, 1905-1906, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
