View source for William Radford

{{short description|US Navy officer (1809-1890)}}
{{About other people|the US Navy officer}}
{{Infobox military person
| name = William Radford
| image = WilliamRadford1860 (1).jpg
| image_size= 200px
| caption = 1860 daguerreotype
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1809|9|9}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1890|1|8|1809|9|9}}
| placeofburial_label = Place of burial
| placeofburial =[[Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)|Oak Hill Cemetery]]<br />Plot: Reno Hill, Lot 916
| birth_place = [[Fincastle, Virginia]]
| death_place = Washington, D.C.
| placeofburial_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} -->
| nickname = 
|allegiance= [[United States of America]]
|branch={{Naval|United States|navy-1864}}
| serviceyears = 1825–1870
| rank =[[File:USN Rear Admiral rank insignia.jpg|border|23px]] [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear admiral]]
| unit = 
| commands = {{USS|Lexington|1825|6}}<br />{{USS|Dacotah|1859|6}}<br />{{USS|Cumberland|1842|6}}<br />{{USS|New Ironsides||6}}<br />[[North Atlantic Squadron]]<br />[[European Squadron]]
| battles = [[Second Seminole War]]<br />[[Mexican–American War]]<br />[[American Civil War]]
| awards = 
| relations = [[William Clark (explorer)|William Clark]]<br />[[Stephen W. Kearny]]<br />[[Meriwether Lewis Clark, Sr.]]<br />[[Sophie Radford de Meissner]]<br />[[William R. Coyle]]<br />[[François E. Matthes]]<br />[[Rosemary Radford Ruether]]
| laterwork = 
}}

'''William Radford''' ({{Birth date|1809|9|9}}&nbsp;– {{Death date|1890|1|8|1809|9|9|mf=yes}}) was a [[Rear admiral (United States)|rear admiral]] of the [[United States Navy]] who served during the [[Mexican–American War]] and the [[American Civil War]], in which he remained loyal to the Union, despite his Virginia birth. Radford commanded the Ironclad Division in the attacks on [[Fort Fisher]] (December 1864/January 1865) to assert Union control of [[Cape Fear (headland)|Cape Fear]].

==Ancestry and early life==
On December 23, 1806, John Radford [{{Birth date|1785|5|27}}&nbsp;– {{Death date and age|1817|4|15|1785|5|27|mf=yes}}] married Harriet Kennerly [{{Birth date|1788|7|28}}&nbsp;– {{Death date and age|1831|12|25|1788|7|28|mf=yes}}] in [[Fincastle, Virginia]], at [[Santillane]], the estate of her uncle [[George Hancock (Virginia politician)|George Hancock]].  On or after January 5, 1807, [[William Clark]] arrived at [[Greenfield (Fincastle, Virginia)|Greenfield]], the estate of army buddy William Preston, missing Harriet's wedding. Instead, Clark asked George Hancock for Julia Hancock's hand in marriage. John and Harriet remained in Fincastle to attend the January 8, 1808, marriage between William and Julia (Harriet's cousin). Then they departed in the spring for [[Lewis County, Kentucky]] to live on their 1,000-acre farm between [[Vanceburg, Kentucky|Vanceburg]] and [[Concord, Kentucky|Concord]] on the bank of the [[Ohio River]], where William and his two siblings were born.<ref name=Smithfield>{{cite journal |last1=Blake |first1=Steven |title=A Closer Look at the Two Mrs. Clarks |journal=The Smithfield Review |volume=27 |pages=83, 92}}</ref>

In 1817, John Radford was killed by the wild boar he was hunting.  Widow Harriet moved her three children to join her brothers and first cousin in [[Saint Louis, Missouri]].  The Radfords resided with her brother James Kennerly.<ref name=DeMeissner>{{cite book|last=de Meissner|first=Sophie Radford|title=Old Naval Days|url=https://archive.org/details/oldnavaldayssket01meis|year=1920|publisher=Henry Holt and Company|location=New York}}</ref>{{RP|8-9}}<ref name=Kennerly>{{cite book|last=Kennerly|first=William Clark as told to Elizabeth Russell|title=Persimmon Hill: A Narrative of Old St. Louis and the Far West|year=1948|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|location=Norman, Oklahoma}}</ref>{{RP|38}}

Julia Clark succumbed on June 27, 1820.  Widower William Clark married Harriet November 28, 1821 in Saint Louis and adopted the Radford children and then added to their combined family:<ref name=Foley>{{cite book|last=Foley|first=William E.|title=Wilderness Journey: The Life of William Clark|year=2004|publisher=University of Missouri Press|location=Columbia, Missouri|isbn=9780826215338|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/wildernessjourne00fole}}</ref>{{RP|228}}
* Harriet Clark [dates unknown; died as infant].
* Jefferson Kearny Clark [{{Birth date|1824|2|29}}&nbsp;– {{Death date and age|1900|1|10|1824|2|29|mf=yes}}]
* Edmund Clark [{{Birth date|1826|9|9}}&nbsp;– {{Death date and age|1827|8|12|1826|9|9|mf=yes}}]

After his mother's second marriage, Radford initially refused to move into the Clark house, so he was sent to a school in [[Perth Amboy, New Jersey]], where he became acquainted with the sea.  He asked stepfather William Clark for a recommendation to the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]].  Clark sent a personal request to President [[John Quincy Adams]].<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|21}}  Some references state William's birthdate as March 1, 1808, but that date was provided to the Navy so William's age then would be 17 rather than his actual 15½.<ref name="DANFS">{{Cite DANFS | title = Radford (I)| url = https://destroyerhistory.org/fletcherclass/index.asp?pid=44601 | date = 21 November 2024 | accessdate = 21 November 2024}}</ref><ref name="Tyler">{{Cite book |last=Tyler |first=Lyon Gardiner |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediavir06unkngoog |title=Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography |publisher=Lewis Historical Publishing Company |year=1915 |volume=2 |location=New York}}</ref>{{Rp|229–230}} Family records and the U.S. Federal Census forms support the 1809 date.

William Clark's diaries mention Radford accompanying him in 1824 from Saint Louis to Washington, D.C.  Before returning home, they diverted to New York City to observe the [[Visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States|hero's welcome]] for [[Marquis de Lafayette]].  On April 29, 1825, Lafayette paid a visit to Saint Louis, where William Clark hosted his stay and Radford introduced himself as a Midshipman in the crew sailing Lafayette back to France.<ref name="Jones">{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Landon|title=William Clark and the Shaping of the West|year=2004|publisher=Hill and Wang|location=New York|isbn=9780809030415|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/williamclarksha00jone}}</ref>{{RP|277}}<ref name="Kennerly"/>{{RP|55}}

Radford embarked upon another Clark trip to Washington, D.C., in the fall of 1828.  An excursion in early January 1829 to visit stepbrother [[Meriwether Lewis Clark, Sr.|Meriwether Lewis Clark]] at [[United States Military Academy|West Point]] was abandoned due to ice floes on the [[Hudson River]].  After witnessing the inauguration of President [[Andrew Jackson]] they returned to Saint Louis.<ref name="Jones"/>{{RP|294}}

==Mediterranean and West Indies Squadrons==
[[Image:USS Brandywine 1831 OldNavyDays.jpg|thumb|right|USS ''Brandywine'' off Malta, November 6, 1831]]
Radford was accepted March 1, 1825 into the [[United States Navy]] as a [[midshipman]].<ref name="callahan">{{Cite web|url= https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/o/officers-continental-usnavy-mc-1775-1900/navy-officers-1798-1900-r.html|title=US Navy Officers : 1775–1900 (R)|work=history.navy.mil|accessdate=21 November 2024}}</ref>  He reported 1 August 1825 to Captain [[Charles Morris (naval officer)|Charles Morris]] for duty aboard {{USS|Brandywine|1825|2}} at [[Washington Navy Yard]].<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|17-27}}  While the ship normally carried only 8 to 10 midshipmen, President Adams appointed a total of 24, to represent each state, per the request of Lafayette for his return to France.  Radford represented the state of [[Missouri]].<ref name=Register>{{cite book|last=Department of State|title=Register of Officers and Agents, Civil, Military and Naval, in the Service of the United States|year=1828|publisher=Peter Force|location=Washington, District of Columbia}}</ref>{{RP|129}}

Lafayette was delivered to [[Le Havre]] on October 9, 1825. From there ''Brandywine'' was attached to the [[Mediterranean Squadron (United States)|Mediterranean Squadron]] under Commodore [[John Rodgers (1772–1838)|John Rodgers]].  Upon the departure of ''Brandywine'' February 25, 1826, Radford transferred to {{USS|Constitution||2}} to remain in the Mediterranean monitoring the [[Greek War of Independence]] and [[Janissary#Revolts and disbandment|coup against the Janissaries]].  Rodgers was succeeded by Commodore [[William M. Crane|William Crane]] March 30, 1827. ''Constitution'', in need of major repairs, was recalled to [[Boston Navy Yard]] arriving on July 4, 1828.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|36-53}}

Radford returned to Saint Louis and received orders August 10, 1829, to join {{USS|Erie|1813|2}} at [[Norfolk Naval Shipyard]] for deployment to the [[West Indies Squadron (United States)|West Indies Squadron]] commanded by Commodore [[Charles Goodwin Ridgely|Charles Ridgely]]. Radford was promoted to [[passed midshipman]] June 4, 1831 and reported for duty in [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard]].  In September 1831, he requested a six-month leave and was with his mother Harriet when she died December 25, 1831, [[Christmas|Christmas Day]].  He was then entered into a [[furlough]] due to the general stagnation of naval affairs.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|83-89}}<ref name="callahan"/>

Radford was assigned to the [[Hulk (ship type)#Receiving hulk|receiving ship]] {{USS|Sea Gull|1818|2}} at Philadelphia in February 1834.  Then in June 1834 he returned to the Mediterranean Squadron aboard {{USS|John Adams|1799|2}} as the acting [[Master (naval)|Master]].  He suffered an attack of [[cholera]] in November 1834 and was sent ashore to recover in the south of France. Still afflicted in January 1836, he was in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], and, during October 1836, was recuperating at the home of his uncle William Radford II in [[Lynchburg, Virginia]].<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|90-91}}

On February 9, 1837, Radford was appointed [[Lieutenant (navy)|lieutenant]].  In September he rejoined the West Indies Squadron, reporting to Commodore [[Alexander J. Dallas (U.S. Navy officer)|Alexander Dallas]] and fighting in the [[Seminole Wars|second Seminole War]].  The maiden voyage of {{USS|Preble|1839|2}} took Radford to [[Labrador]] in June 1840. In November, he returned for a third [[Tour of duty|tour]] with the Mediterranean Squadron, Commodore [[Isaac Hull]] in charge.  On March 6, 1841, due to the [[Oregon boundary dispute|Oregon Question]], Radford was summoned to New York via ''Brandywine''.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|91-96}}<ref name="callahan"/>

Radford traveled May 1841 to Norfolk for duty on {{USS|Pennsylvania|1837|2}}. On December 20, 1841, he received {{USS|Ontario|1813|2}} as his first command and delivered her from New York to the [[Military recruitment|Rendezvous]] at [[Naval Support Activity New Orleans|New Orleans]] where she was employed as a receiving ship.  Relieved of recruitment detail in August 1843, he was ordered on board the inaugural cruise of {{USS|Savannah|1842|2}} where she became the [[flagship]] of the [[Pacific Squadron]] for Commodore Alexander Dallas.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|101-115}}

==Pacific Squadron==
[[Image:USS Savannah 1844 OldNavyDays.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. frigate ''Savannah'', flagship of the Pacific Squadron, 1844]]
Radford was attached April 24, 1844, to {{USS|Warren|1827|2}} and visited [[Society Islands]], [[Hawaiian Islands|Sandwich Islands]] and the western coastline of the Americas. Commodore Dallas died at [[Callao|Callao, Peru]] and was replaced by Commodore [[John D. Sloat|John Sloat]].  Radford's January 1845 letter to brother-in-law [[Stephen W. Kearny|Stephen Kearny]] predicted California "can never be a very densely populated country" and [[Oregon]] "is not a very desirable country" yet "we should and ought by rights to have some possessions on the Pacific".  He also mentions that "[[dysentery]] killed seven of the crew" and that "I was dangerously ill myself".<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|117-120}}

By May 1845 at Callao, he was again debilitated by dysentery to a degree where ship surgeons recommended he should be removed from the ship "to a more favorable climate".  However, he remained aboard and, through mid-1845, patrolled the California coast where rumor of war with [[Mexico]] was rife.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|120-121}}

Reaching [[Honolulu Harbor|Honolulu]] October 4, 1845, orders were received that once Mexico declared war, the squadron should "[[blockade]] or occupy such ports as force might permit".  ''Warren'' set return sail on October 16 to [[Mazatlán]] to await the onset of war. Months passed until June 6, 1846, when confirmation arrived from [[William Maxwell Wood]] that land war had commenced.  ''Warren'' remained at Mazatlán as the other ships of the squadron captured ports along the California coast, generally with the inhabitants cooperating.  [[Royal Navy|English warships]], also awaiting news of war, reacted too late to offer their [[Protectorate#Amical protection|protectorate flags]] to Mexico.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|122-129}}<ref name=Hart>{{cite book|last=Hart|first=Ann Clark|title=Clark's Point – A Narrative of the Conquest of California and of the Beginning of San Francisco|year=1937|publisher=The Pioneer Press|location=San Francisco, California}}</ref>{{RP|1-4}}

''Warren'' left Mazatlán with dispatches from Washington, D.C. and arrived at [[Monterey Bay|Monterey]] on August 17, 1846, to find Commodore [[Robert F. Stockton|Robert Stockton]] in charge of the Pacific Squadron.  Ordered back to resume the blockade of Mazatlán, ''Warren'' arrived early morning of September 7 to find the Mexican warship ''Malek Adhel'' in the harbor.  Radford commanded the [[Boarding (attack)|boarding party]] which inserted during the siesta hour and securely fastened the hatches while the entire crew was below deck.  Over the course of the next months, "13 or 14" additional ships were captured by the blockade, eliminating further threat from the Mexican Navy.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|130-135}}

Despite the ease of the [[Conquest of California]] for the Navy, hostilities continued on land until a [[White flag#Contemporary use|flag of truce]] was delivered by residents of Los Angeles on January 10, 1847.  [[Brigadier general (United States)|General]] Stephen Kearny paid a visit February 17, 1847, to his brother-in-law at [[Yerba Buena, California|Yerba Buena]].  After nearly four years abroad, Radford was granted leave to depart May 31, 1847, for home overland with Kearny and his troops.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|165}}

==New York and East India Squadron==
Radford arrived back in Saint Louis on August 28, 1847.  He was ordered December 20, 1847, to testify in the [[court-martial]] of [[John C. Frémont]] at the [[Fort Lesley J. McNair|Washington Arsenal]].  A leave was approved March 2, 1848, which indicated Radford intended to revisit Mexico with General Kearny but his letter of July 3, 1848, was sent from New York requesting a three-month extension.  He went to see his cousin William Preston Griffin at [[Morristown, New Jersey]], met Mary Lovell, married her and settled there.  He commuted to his assignment at the Rendezvous in New York through January 21, 1851.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|174-182}}
[[File:Cumberland rammed by Merrimac.png|thumb|right|The sinking of ''Cumberland'', 1862]]
On July 26, 1851, Radford took command of {{USS|Lexington|1825|2}} and sailed again to the Pacific Squadron.  By March 1852 he arrived in San Francisco where he met with brother John and brother-in-law Benjamin Lovell.  On the way home, a letter from his father-in-law Joseph Lovell advised that Radford's infant son, Willie, had died.  Detached from ''Lexington'' on September 22, 1852, Radford returned to Morristown.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|202-210}}

For the period 1852 until 1860, Radford was assigned shore duties in New York despite his applications for a command.  For three years, he worked at the [[Brooklyn Navy Yard]] and witnessed for numerous courts-martial. In June 1855, he was given command of U.S. steamer ''City of Boston'' to prevent ships connected with [[Filibuster (military)|filibustering]] expeditions from leaving the harbor.  On July 20 he was appointed a member of a committee to "examine and report on the different Life Boats."  Finally, Radford had a brief stint as Inspector of the Third Lighthouse District. During these years, he again shuttled from his residence in Morristown.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|210-218}}

Radford was fortunate to receive a commission as [[commander]] September 14, 1855. Throughout 1855 and early 1856, promotions were at a standstill in the Navy partly due to the shortage of ships. Many officers were given leave to take command of merchant ships (such as [[Packet boat|U.S. Mail steamers]]) at significantly higher pay. To overcome this quandary, a Naval Retiring Board was formed which upset the older officers but cheered younger members of the service.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|211-215}}<ref name="callahan"/>

He took command of {{USS|Dacotah|1859|2}} April 23, 1860, and sailed to Hong Kong as a unit of the [[East India Squadron]] for Commodore [[Cornelius Stribling]].  However, after the onset of the Civil War, both Radford and Stribling were relieved of their commands and ordered to return Washington, D.C. despite their declarations of allegiance to the [[United States|Union]].  Commodore [[Samuel Francis Du Pont|Samuel Du Pont]] in Washington, D.C. explained to Radford's wife Mary that, with the number of defections from both the Army and Navy, all officers from slave states must be evaluated for risk.  Radford arrived home October 12, 1861, seriously ill with smallpox but recovered quickly. After an interview with [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] [[Gideon Welles]], he was reappointed Inspector of the Third Lighthouse District at New York.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|219-242}}

==Civil War==
[[Image:USS NewIronsides 1864 OldNavyDays.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. frigate ''New Ironsides'', Commodore Radford's flagship, 1864]]
On February 8, 1862, Radford accepted command of {{USS|Cumberland|1842|2}}. He was aboard {{USS|Roanoke|1855|2}} as a member of a [[Naval Board of Inquiry]] March 8, 1862, when his ship was sunk by the [[Confederate States Navy|Confederate]] [[Naval ram|ram]] {{Ship|CSS|Virginia||2}} during the [[Battle of Hampton Roads]].<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|243-253}}

A Naval Board convened in April 1862 at the [[Naval Academy Preparatory School]] with Radford as a member.  He received, June 10, 1862, temporary duty as Executive Officer of Brooklyn Navy Yard under command of Rear Admiral [[Hiram Paulding]].  The assignment stretched into almost two years of equipping and [[fitting-out]] hundreds of vessels for the Navy.  Radford received promotion to captain July 16, 1862, and then to commodore April 24, 1863.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|256-265}}<ref name="callahan"/>

On May 15, 1864, Radford was directed to report to Rear Admiral [[John A. Dahlgren|John Dahlgren]] at Philadelphia for command of the armored ship {{USS|New Ironsides||2}}. Upon arrival it was determined the ship required repairs so Radford was relieved and ordered to a Naval Board in Washington, D.C. during July 1864. He was recommitted to {{USS|New Ironsides||6}} on August 16, 1864, and joined the [[Union blockade#North Atlantic Blockading Squadron|North Atlantic Blockading Squadron]] at [[Hampton Roads]]. Rear Admiral [[David Dixon Porter|David Porter]] assembled a fleet to attack [[Fort Fisher]] for the control of [[Cape Fear River]].  He placed Radford in command of the Ironclad Division, consisting of [[flagship]] {{USS|New Ironsides||6}}, {{USS|Dictator|1863|2}}, {{USS|Monadnock|1863|2}}, {{USS|Canonicus|1863|2}}, {{USS|Saugus|1863|2}} and {{USS|Mahopac|1863|2}} during [[Second Battle of Fort Fisher|attacks on Fort Fisher]] in December 1864 and in January 1865. [[David Dixon Porter|David Porter]] commended Radford's support for the Union forces ashore and [[List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Second Battle of Fort Fisher|eight members of his crew]] were awarded the [[Medal of Honor]].<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|270-291}}

''New Ironsides'' sailed January 24, 1865, up the [[James River]] to [[Bermuda Hundred, Virginia|Bermuda Hundred]] to protect the stores of the [[Army of the Potomac]] from a threatened raid by Confederate rams during the [[siege of Petersburg]].  Radford took charge of the flotilla assembled there and coordinated with Generals [[Ulysses S. Grant|Ulysses Grant]] and [[Edward Ord]].  Radford transferred his flag to {{USS|Dumbarton|1861|2}} when ''New Ironsides'' was sent to Norfolk Naval yard February 18, 1865, for repairs.  With the end of war near, ''Dumbarton'' departed from the James River March 22, 1865, and officers and crew were detached upon arrival at the Washington Navy Yard.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|293-302}}

On April 4, 1865, Radford sailed {{USS|Phlox|1864|2}} from Washington, D.C. up the James River and arrived at [[City Point, Virginia]], the next evening.  From there, he conveyed [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Andrew Johnson]] and [[Preston King (politician)|Preston King]] to [[Richmond, Virginia]], and back.  President [[Abraham Lincoln]] was already in Richmond, unaccompanied by any of his Cabinet, to witness the downfall of the Confederate stronghold.  He became agitated about the Johnson and King arrival and ordered Radford to keep both of his passengers elsewhere.  While moored for two days, Radford discovered stepbrother Meriwether Clark was a prisoner of war and brought him aboard ''Phlox'' to await release.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|308-310}}<ref name=PorterCivilWar>{{cite book|last=Porter|first=Admiral (David Dixon)|title=Incidents and Ancecdotes of the Civil War|year=1885|publisher=D. Appleton and Company|location=New York}}</ref>

==North Atlantic and European Squadrons==
[[File:USS Franklin (1864).jpg|thumb|right|USS ''Franklin'' in 1864]]
Commodore Radford was appointed April 28, 1865, to command the [[North Atlantic Squadron]] as Acting Rear Admiral. He transferred his flag May 15, 1865, from ''Phlox'' to {{USS|Malvern|1860|2}}, which remained his flagship during his tenure. He was called October 10, 1865, to oversee the Washington Navy Yard. He moved his wife, two daughters and three sons from New Jersey to a Washington, D.C. home in November.

In March 1866, Radford was elected as a companion of the Pennsylvania Commandery of the [[Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States]]. He was promoted to rear admiral on July 25, 1866.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|313-329}}<ref name="callahan"/>

Radford left Washington January 20, 1869, with his family in tow and arrived in New York to embark on {{USS|Franklin|1864|2}} to [[Lisbon]], Portugal.  After seventeen days of stormy passage, Radford arrived to take charge of the European Squadron and found all attached vessels, {{USS|Ticonderoga|1862|2}}, {{USS|Richmond|1860|2}}, {{USS|Swatara|1865|2}}, {{USS|Frolic|1862|2}} and {{USS|Guard|1857|2}}, lying at anchor in the harbor waiting for his orders.

As Radford performed his duties, his family traveled with him on ''Franklin'' to Spain, [[Algiers]], France, the Netherlands and Italy. During 1870, the children attended school at [[Lausanne]], Switzerland. A month after the outbreak of the [[Franco-Prussian War]], Radford relinquished his command August 10, 1870, to Rear Admiral [[Oliver S. Glisson|Oliver Glisson]]. He travelled to Lausanne to retrieve his children believing any battles would be distant.  After arrival in Paris, the [[Battle of Sedan (1870)|surrender]] of the French Army on September 2, 1870, caused the Radford family to flee the [[Siege of Paris (1870–1871)|advancing Prussian Army]]. At Havre they negotiated commercial passage to the United States.<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|329-371}}

Radford was listed by the Navy as retired on March 1, 1870. However, from October 1, 1870, through the next two years, he served on several Naval Boards of Inquiry chaired by Rear Admiral [[Joseph Smith (admiral)|Joseph Smith]], Rear Admiral [[Theodorus Bailey (officer)|Theodorus Bailey]] and Vice Admiral [[Stephen Clegg Rowan|Stephen Rowan]].<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|372}}

==Marriage and family==
Radford married Mary "Minnie" Elizabeth Lovell [{{Birth date|1829|4|12}}&nbsp;– {{Death date and age|1903|10|27|1829|4|12|mf=yes}}] in St. Peter's Church, Morristown, New Jersey November 3, 1848.  The ceremony was overcast due to the death of brother-in-law Stephen Kearny a few days before.  The Radfords resided on Mount Kemble Avenue for almost twenty years in a house previously owned by [[John Doughty]].<ref name="DeMeissner"/>{{RP|182}}<ref name=Colles>{{cite book|last=Colles|first=Julia Keese|title=Authors and Writers Associated with Morristown|year=1895|publisher=Vogt Brothers|location=Morristown, New Jersey}}</ref>{{RP|212}}

Children of William and Elizabeth (all born in Morristown, New Jersey except Henry who was born in Washington, D.C.) were:<ref name=Vermilye>{{cite book|last=Vermilye|first=Anna S.|title=Ogden Family History|url=https://archive.org/details/ogdenfamilyhist00vermgoog|year=1906|publisher=The Orange Chronicle Company|location=Orange, New Jersey}}</ref>{{RP|77}} Mary Lovell Radford; William Radford; [[Sophie Radford de Meissner|Sophie Adelaide Radford]]; Stephen Kearny Radford; George Reginald Radford; Edmund Ironsides Radford; and Henry Carlton Radford.

Daughter Sophie became a writer including a play produced on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] and her father's biography ''Old Naval Days''.

Son George Reginald and grandson [[William R. Coyle|William Radford Coyle]] (from daughter Mary Lovell Radford Coyle's lineage) married sisters.   Mary and Jane Dodson respectively were daughters of Weston Dodson, founder of Weston Dodson & Company in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  Coyle served three terms from [[Pennsylvania]] as a member of the [[U.S. House of Representatives]].

Granddaughter Mary Lovell Radford (from son Stephen Kearny Radford's lineage), on April 5, 1918, during World War I, launched {{USS|Radford|DD-120}}, a {{Sclass|Wickes|destroyer}} named for her grandfather.

Granddaughter Edith Lovell Coyle (from daughter Mary Lovell Radford Coyle's lineage) married [[François E. Matthes]].  On May 13, 1942, during World War II, she launched the {{USS|Radford|DD-446}}, a {{Sclass|Fletcher|destroyer|1}} in the [[United States Navy]] named for her grandfather.

Great-granddaughter (from son Stephen Kearny Radford's lineage) [[Rosemary Radford Ruether]] pioneered feminist theology.

Radford died on January 8, 1890. He was interred at [[Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)|Oak Hill Cemetery]] in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.oakhillcemeterydc.org/app/themes/oakhill/assets/records/916.pdf |title=Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown, D.C. (Reno Hall) - Lot 916 |website=oakhillcemeterydc.org |access-date=2022-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302053227/https://www.oakhillcemeterydc.org/app/themes/oakhill/assets/records/916.pdf |archive-date=2022-03-02 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Legacy==
When the ''Brandywine'' arrived in France in 1825, Radford purchased a set of dining room chairs which he shipped back to the Clark household in St. Louis, Missouri.  The Clark family referred to them as the "Lafayette Chairs" per the trip's famous passenger.

Radford, as a witness, signed at least three treaties between the United States and [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] nations.  He had attended the ceremonies with stepfather William Clark, who was serving as [[Bureau of Indian Affairs|Superintendent of Indian Affairs]].<ref name=IowaTreaty>{{cite web|title=Treaty with The Iowa – August 4, 1824|url=https://treaties.okstate.edu/treaties/treaty-with-the-iowa-1824-0208|work=First People – Treaties and Agreements|accessdate=21 November 2024}}</ref><ref name=KaskaskiaTreaty>{{cite web|title=Treaty with The Kaskaskia – October 27, 1832|url=https://treaties.okstate.edu/treaties/treaty-with-the-kaskaskia-etc-1832-0376|work=First People – Treaties and Agreements|accessdate=21 November 2024}}</ref><ref name=WeaTreaty>{{cite web|title=Treaty with The Piankashaw and Wea – October 29, 1832|url=https://treaties.okstate.edu/treaties/treaty-with-the-piankashaw-and-wea-1832-0382|work=First People – Treaties and Agreements|accessdate=14 November 2012}}</ref>

Radford built an elegant Victorian mansion during 1875 at 1736 (now 1734) N Street NW in the [[DuPont Circle]] neighborhood of Washington, D.C.  It is now the [[General Federation of Women's Clubs Headquarters]].<ref name=GFWCH>{{cite web|title=1734 N Street|url=https://www.gfwc.org/headquarters/|publisher=General Federation of Women's Clubs|accessdate=12 October 2012}}</ref>

{{Gallery
|title=Portraits
|width=150
|height=170
|align=center
|Image:HarrietKennerlyRadfordClark.jpg|alt1=Harriet Kennerly Radford Clark|Harriet Kennerly Radford Clark, mother of Admiral Radford
|Image:WilliamRadford1848.jpg|alt3=Miniature painted after his marriage.|Miniature painted after his marriage, 1848.
|Image:MaryElizabethLovellRadford 1850 OldNavalDays.jpg|alt2=Mary Elizabeth Lovell Radford|Mary Elizabeth Lovell Radford, wife of Admiral Radford, 1850
|Image:WilliamRadford1860.jpg|alt4=Daguerreotype before sailing for China.|Daguerreotype made before sailing for China, 1860.
|Image:WilliamRadford1870.jpg|alt5=Portrait during command of the European Squadron|Portrait made when in command of the European Squadron, {{circa}} 1870.
}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
Two ships of the U.S. Navy were named {{USS|Radford}} in his honor.
{{commons category}}
{{NIE Poster|Radford, William|William Radford}}
* [https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/r/radford-i.html USS ''Radford'' (DD-120) : William Radford]
* [https://destroyerhistory.org/fletcherclass/ussradford/ USS ''Radford'' (DD-446) : William Radford]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radford, William}}
[[Category:1809 births]]
[[Category:1890 deaths]]
[[Category:American people of the Seminole Wars]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of the Mexican–American War]]
[[Category:People of Virginia in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Union Navy admirals]]
[[Category:United States Navy admirals]]
[[Category:People from Fincastle, Virginia]]
[[Category:Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)]]
[[Category:People from Dupont Circle]]