JESSE M. ROPER, LCDR, USN
Jesse Roper '72
Jesse Mims Roper was admitted to the Naval Academy from Glasgow, Missouri on June 23, 1868 at age 16 years 7 months.
"An 1872 graduation photograph taken at the Naval Academy. From the photo collection of the Naval History and Heritage Command."
Loss
Jesse was lost on March 31, 1901 while attempting to rescue two seamen trapped by a fire aboard USS Petrel (PG 2). He was the ship's commanding officer.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
In September 1880, Jesse married May Croly, daughter of writers David G. and “Jennie June” Croly. She was going to be an actress but married Jesse instead. She died just three years later of a spine ailment.
On December 21, 1885 in Manhattan, Jesse married Harriet Hull Knowlton.
In January 1889, he was on the Vandalia which was later wrecked in a cyclone in March.
Jesse was detached from the Naval Academy to torpedo instruction in April 1889. In October he was ordered to the Bureau of Navigation.
In the July 1900 census, Jesse was on USS Newark in Taku, China.
In December that year, Jesse, now on the Petrel, told how five sailors risked their lives in connection with a smallpox case on board ship in Manila Bay. They attended to the sailor day and night and served as a funeral party. They underwent thirty days in quarantine and had all their clothes destroyed. Acting Secretary Hackett sent a testimonial of appreciation to each man.
Jesse received the decoration of Knight Companion of the Royal Order of the Crown of Hawaii. Only 73 individuals received this decoration. It was awarded between 1875 and 1892.
On May 10, 1909, Jesse's widow was with other dignitaries from the American embassy in Constantinople watching the installation of the sultan.
Jesse's father was Alfred, a farmer and machinist, and his mother was Mary Susan (Hale.) Jesse had seven brothers and three sisters: Gertrude, Candace, John, Richard, Alfred, Mary Susan, Church Samuel, Andrew Caldwell, brother Pepear who died young, and Hardin Estil who died in 1891. Father Alfred died at Richard's house in 1899, and mother Mary died at Mary Susan's house in 1905.
From the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships for his namesake ship:
Born at Glasgow, Missouri, Roper was appointed midshipman in June 1868 and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1872. Commissioned lieutenant commander in 1899, he assumed command of USS Petrel (PG-2) shortly thereafter. On 31 March 1901, while Petrel was moored at Cavite, Philippine Islands, fire broke out in the sail room, adjacent to the magazines. Lieutenant Commander Roper went down into the burning area twice to rescue trapped seamen. Lieutenant Commander Roper was overcome by smoke on his second descent and suffocated before help could reach him.
He is buried in the Naval Academy Cemetery.
Career
From the Naval History and Heritage Command:
Midshipman, 23 June, 1868. Graduated 1 June, 1872. Ensign, 15 July, 1873. Master, 25 November, 1877. Lieutenant, Junior Grade, 3 March, 1583. Lieutenant, 5 June, 1884. Lieutenant Commander, 3 March, 1899.
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
July 1870
January 1873
January 1874
January 1875
January 1876
July 1878
January 1879
July 1881
January 1882
January 1884
February 1885
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January 1889
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July 1894
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January 1898
January 1899
January 1900
January 1901
Namesake
USS Roper (DD 147) was named for Jesse; the ship was sponsored by his widow.
Memorial
Jesse's classmates erected a plaque to his honor in Memorial Hall.
Memorial Hall Error
Jesse was a Lieutenant Commander when he died — including notably in the Naval History and Heritage Command's Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships — and there is no evidence he was posthumously promoted. Memorial Hall has Commander.
Jesse is one of 2 members of the Class of 1872 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
