Howell Cobb, 1857

Howell Cobb, 1857

Howell Cobb was appointed the 22nd Secretary of the Treasury.  As a congressman, Cobb supported the presidential campaign of James Buchanan, and the victorious Buchanan rewarded him with the appointment. His term in office began on March 7, 1857, and he served until December 8, 1860.

Tender History:

The 90-ton, wooden-hulled Lighthouse Service tender Howell Cobb was built in New York in 1857 and entered commissioned service as a supply tender on 5 September 1857.  She sailed out of New Bedford, Connecticut and supplied remote lighthouse stations along the Atlantic coast.

Later that year she transferred to Charleston, South Carolina.  She ran aground in the Bahamas on 13 December 1857 but was repaired and returned to service.  She was seized by Confederate forces in 1861.

Note that there was a Revenue cutter with the same name that was in service at this same time.

Sources:

Douglas Peterson.  United States Lighthouse Service Tenders, 1840-1939. Annapolis: Eastwind Publishing, 2000.