Gideon Welles

Biography

Gideon Welles (1802-1878) served as Secretary of the Navy under President Abraham Lincoln from 1861 until Lincoln's assassination in 1865. A Connecticut native and former journalist, Welles brought administrative competence and strategic vision to the Navy during its critical expansion in the Civil War era. He oversaw the construction of ironclad warships, including the USS Monitor, and transformed the Navy from a wooden-ship force into a modern steam-powered fleet capable of blockading Confederate ports. Welles remained a trusted advisor throughout the war, earning Lincoln's confidence despite his initial lack of naval experience. After the war, he served briefly under Andrew Johnson before retiring from public life. His detailed diary, kept throughout the Civil War and Reconstruction periods, provides invaluable historical documentation of Lincoln's administration and the nation's transformation during this turbulent era.