Owen Thomas Edgar
Born(1831-06-17)June 17, 1831
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
DiedSeptember 3, 1929(1929-09-03) (aged 98)
Washington, D.C., US
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Navy
Years of service1846–1849
RankApprentice First Class
UnitUSS Potomac
USS Allegheny
USS Pennsylvania
USS Experience
Battles/warsMexican–American War

Owen Thomas Edgar (June 17, 1831 – September 3, 1929) was, according to data from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the longest surviving U.S. veteran of the Mexican–American War.[1][2][3]

Biography

He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the United States Navy as a 2nd-class apprentice on February 10, 1846, and was discharged as an Apprentice First Class on August 8, 1849. Edgar saw service on the frigates Potomac, Allegheny, Pennsylvania and Experience.[4]

After the war, he worked at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing for twenty-one years, then worked at a bank for another thirty-one years. He spent his final ten years living at the John Dickson Home in Washington, D.C.[5]

He became the last surviving American veteran of the Mexican-American War on June 17, 1929 when fellow war veteran William Buckner died at the age of 101 in Paris, Missouri.[6][7]

Death and interment

Edgar died September 3, 1929, at the age of 98 after suffering a fall from a chair that fractured his leg, and was buried in Washington's Congressional Cemetery.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Edgar, Owen Thomas," in "Deaths." Washington, D.C.: The Evening Star, p. 9 (subscription required).
  2. ↑ "Lone Mexican Vet Is 98: Owen Edgar Finds on Birthday That He Is Last Survivor." Spokane, Washington: The Spokesman Review, June 18, 1929, p. 12 (subscription required).
  3. ↑ O'Hare, Herb. "Thomas Owen Edgar, 98, Now Last Mexican War Survivor, Hale, Hearty, Enjoys Honor." Brooklyn, New York: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 23, 1929, p. 30 (subscription required).
  4. ↑ O'Hare, "Thomas Owen Edgar, 98, Now Last Mexican War Survivor, Hale, Hearty, Enjoys Honor," The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 23, 1929, p. 30.
  5. ↑ O'Hare, "Thomas Owen Edgar, 98, Now Last Mexican War Survivor, Hale, Hearty, Enjoys Honor," The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 23, 1929, p. 30.
  6. ↑ "Lone Mexican Vet Is 98: Owen Edgar Finds on Birthday That He Is Last Survivor," The Spokesman Review, June 18, 1929, p. 12.
  7. ↑ O'Hare, "Thomas Owen Edgar, 98, Now Last Mexican War Survivor, Hale, Hearty, Enjoys Honor," The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 23, 1929, p. 30.
  8. ↑ "Edgar, Owen Thomas," in "Deaths," The Evening Star, p. 9.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.