POLITICIAN

Gideon Welles

1802 - 1878

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Gideon Welles (July 1, 1802 – February 11, 1878) was an American government official who was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869, a cabinet post he was awarded after supporting Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election. Although opposed to the Union blockade of Southern ports, he duly carried out his part of the Anaconda Plan, largely sealing off the Confederate coastline and preventing the exchange of cotton for war supplies. This is viewed as a major cause of Union victory in the Civil War, and his achievement in expanding the Navy almost tenfold was widely praised. Welles was also instrumental in the Navy's creation of the Medal of Honor. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in 19 different languages on Wikipedia. Gideon Welles is the 17,843rd most popular politician (down from 16,619th in 2024), the 13,165th most popular biography from United States (down from 10,257th in 2019) and the 1,001st most popular American Politician.

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Among POLITICIANS

Among politicians, Gideon Welles ranks 17,843 out of 19,576. Before him are Russell Carpenter, Wade Hampton III, N. Biren Singh, Audronius Ažubalis, Eugen Bejinariu, and Radiy Khabirov. After him are Eduardo Paes, Cristina Cifuentes, Chris Van Hollen, Kaci Kullmann Five, Maham Anga, and Ron Wyden.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1802, Gideon Welles ranks 63. Before him are Dorothea Dix, Lydia Maria Child, Manuel María Lombardini, David Octavius Hill, Andrei Stackenschneider, and Miguel de San Román. After him are Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Chand Kaur, and Benjamin Fitzpatrick. Among people deceased in 1878, Gideon Welles ranks 75. Before him are José Amador de los Ríos, Francisco Linares Alcántara, George Henry Lewes, Bayard Taylor, Charles Magill Conrad, and Benjamin Bonneville.

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Gideon Welles ranks 13,169 out of 20,380. Before him are Sonya Smith (1972), Brook Benton (1931), Audrey Totter (1917), Angela Little (1972), Zachary Scott (1914), and Malvina Reynolds (1900). After him are Kerri Green (1967), Conrad Vernon (1968), Royce D. Applegate (1939), Alexandra Silk (1963), Leda Cosmides (1957), and Sarah J. Maas (1986).

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Among POLITICIANS In United States

Among politicians born in United States, Gideon Welles ranks 1,001. Before him are Thomas McKean (1734), Larry Craig (1945), James Abourezk (1931), Arlen Specter (1930), Russell Carpenter (1950), and Wade Hampton III (1818). After him are Ron Wyden (1949), Caesar Rodney (1728), John Boozman (1950), William Few (1748), John M. Berrien (1781), and Dana Rohrabacher (1947).

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