THOMAS G. FISHER, LT, USN

Thomas Fisher '18

Date of birth: September 18, 1894

Date of death: July 30, 1931

Age: 36

Lucky Bag

From the 1918 Lucky Bag:

THOMAS GEARY FISHER

Oxon Hill, Maryland

"Touche" "Fish" "Shorty" "Tommie"

GENTLEMEN, this product of Oxon Hill is as fine a specimen of the "he-man" or "man's man" as the Academy has turned out for many a moon.

He came to us from '17 and in the old days was considered famous as a running mate of Whisky Luth. Tom doesn't measure a great deal overall, neither is his displacement so much, but he is without doubt a first-class fighting man. He has had not the slightest trouble in making the baseball team for the four years, and broke into the football line-up as a regular his second class year. He played such a gritty game against the Army that he was elected captain. Like Caesar, he wanted more worlds to conquer, so he stepped out and copped the welterweight boxing championship. In justice, however, we are forced to admit that he might not have won this had it not been for the co-operation of Madame Fatima, and his able second, Sol Phillips.

How did he get that name, Touche? Oh, yes, when it came time to elect a manager of that famous and brutal sport, the art of sword pushing, Tom was the coming contestant; he was the popular candidate, and it can be safely said that his defeat was due only to the cunning intrigue of the "Greek."

But to come down to brass tacks, you can always count on Tom. When things are going bad, and a real man is needed for the job, he's there with the stuff. A thoroughbred Irish scrapper, you can recognize him by the grin that so closes his eyes, that you can hardly see their twinkle, and by the jumble of words rushing over one another in their hurry to express his denial or his "come-back."

"Hey! you want to get a poke in the nose?"

"S-s-ss!"

Football Squad (4, 3, 2); Football N (2); Football Captain Baseball Squad (4, 3, 2, 1); Baseball N (4, 3, 2); Baseball Captain; Academy Middleweight Boxing Championship (2).

The Class of 1918 was graduated on June 28, 1917 due to World War I.

THOMAS GEARY FISHER

Oxon Hill, Maryland

"Touche" "Fish" "Shorty" "Tommie"

GENTLEMEN, this product of Oxon Hill is as fine a specimen of the "he-man" or "man's man" as the Academy has turned out for many a moon.

He came to us from '17 and in the old days was considered famous as a running mate of Whisky Luth. Tom doesn't measure a great deal overall, neither is his displacement so much, but he is without doubt a first-class fighting man. He has had not the slightest trouble in making the baseball team for the four years, and broke into the football line-up as a regular his second class year. He played such a gritty game against the Army that he was elected captain. Like Caesar, he wanted more worlds to conquer, so he stepped out and copped the welterweight boxing championship. In justice, however, we are forced to admit that he might not have won this had it not been for the co-operation of Madame Fatima, and his able second, Sol Phillips.

How did he get that name, Touche? Oh, yes, when it came time to elect a manager of that famous and brutal sport, the art of sword pushing, Tom was the coming contestant; he was the popular candidate, and it can be safely said that his defeat was due only to the cunning intrigue of the "Greek."

But to come down to brass tacks, you can always count on Tom. When things are going bad, and a real man is needed for the job, he's there with the stuff. A thoroughbred Irish scrapper, you can recognize him by the grin that so closes his eyes, that you can hardly see their twinkle, and by the jumble of words rushing over one another in their hurry to express his denial or his "come-back."

"Hey! you want to get a poke in the nose?"

"S-s-ss!"

Football Squad (4, 3, 2); Football N (2); Football Captain Baseball Squad (4, 3, 2, 1); Baseball N (4, 3, 2); Baseball Captain; Academy Middleweight Boxing Championship (2).

The Class of 1918 was graduated on June 28, 1917 due to World War I.

Loss

Thomas was lost on July 30, 1931 when the plane he was piloting broke up during practice dive-bombing off the coast of California. He was the executive officer of Bombing Squadron (VB) 2B, flying from USS Saratoga (CV 3).

Other Information

Thomas was initially a member of the class of 1917, but was set back a year in 1915 for hazing. Six others were dismissed, four suspended a year without pay, and 14 turned back one year. (From The Baltimore Sun on October 2, 1915.)

From researcher Kathy Franz:

At the Naval Academy, Thomas played third base on the baseball team.
Thomas married Mrs. Elda Kay Bagley (nee Keen) on October 8, 1925, at the home of Mrs. George Van Riper in Coronado. In July 1930, Elda and Mrs. Malcolm E. Selby (‘21) visited Lt. and Mrs. George H. Hasselman in Honolulu. They then sailed on the President Van Buren for Shanghai where Malcolm was. Elda returned to Honolulu in June, 1931, and to Los Angeles in August. In April, 1932, she participated with Mrs. Malcolm Selby at the Navy Relief Carnival at its cigarette vendor displays in Pensacola. In 1948, she was married to Commander Henry R. Oster (’17) living in Spilver Spring, Maryland. She sailed from Balboa, Canal Zone to San Diego in June. She had divorced Henry in 1945, remarried him four months later, and then divorced him again in January 1949. She died in Tucson in 1952.
In 1900 Oxon Hill, Thomas’ father John was a court clerk, mother was Mary/Naomi, and sister was Theodora/Dora. His brother John, Jr., became a prohibition inspector and was shot in the knee in 1927 by the farmer Charles F. Gundlach. Thomas’ brother Adrian became an attorney.
In the 1910 census, Thomas was listed as Geary, and his father was a truck farmer. In 1920, his parents lived with his brother Adrian’s family – Adrian was a clerk at the navy yard, and his father was a county commission clerk.

From the Salt Lake Tribune, July 31, 1931, via Kathy Franz:

Navy Formations Delight Crowds
Then the silver gray navy planes – nine of them, with Lieutenant T. G. Fisher in command, went aloft to return to the crowds their appetite for thrills.
The snappy ships bearing the grinning Felix insignia lost no time entering the “V” of “V” formation, with three ships each forming a “V” as they flew over the crowds.
Their close formation and perfect position were a delight to the thousands of eyes. The ships went to the south and then, as they returned to the aiport region, they made up a big “V,” all nine ships participating to compose the design.
Then they executed another perfect move, forming a straight line as they speeded over the field. It was a difficult maneuver, especially in view of the rough atmospheric conditions.
Power Drive Climax Thrills
Then came the echelon of “V’s,” with three ships forming a line, in fact the nine planes comprised three separate lines as they passed over the crowds.
To cap the navy’s aerial exhibition, Lieutenant Fisher and his colleagues engaged in a three-way attack, with nine ships, from a high altitude, rushing toward the earth, with motors roaring. It was a sensational climax to a splendid demonstration.
The navy fliers were Lieutenant Fisher, Lieutenant G. H. Hasselman, Lieutenant Walter F. Boone (’21), and Lieutenants Junior Grade John Broder Moss (’23), Walter D. Leach (’24), John Patrick Fitzsimmons (’26), Leonard James Dow (’26), Eugene Davis ('27), and Julian D. Greer (’27).

His body was never recovered. He was survived by his wife and mother.

Photographs

From the 1918 Lucky Bag
"Some principals in the dedication program at the airport Saturday afternoon are: General W. G. Williams (center), discussing the flying plans with Lieutenant W. E. Richards (left), commanding the army planes, and Lieutenant T. G. Fisher, head of the navy squadron." From The Salt Lake Tribune on July 25, 1931.
From The Muscatine Journal on December 4, 1929
From the Evening star on December 15, 1929
From The Salt Lake Tribune on July 20, 1931

Prior Accidents

On March 17, 1924 he survived a mid-air collision with another aircraft near Pensacola, Florida. Henry Mullinnix '16 also survived, but Charles Porter '20 and Olin Miner '20 were both killed.

On June 21, 1927 he was the only survivor of a crash that killed William Hactor '15 and another crewman off the coast of California; he swam several hours to shore.

On July 24, 1930, he successfully bailed out of an aircraft near San Diego.

Schiff Trophy

From Davis-Monthan Aviation Field Register:

Lieutenant Thomas Geary Fisher, USN, familiarly known throughout the service as "Bubbles", was presented the Schiff Trophy at noon, Saturday, December 14th, by President Hoover. The Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Mt. Jahnke, read the citation. The Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Aeronautics, Admiral Hughes, Admiral Leigh and Admiral Moffett, accompanied by their aides were present during the ceremony. The ceremony took place without accident, except that "Bubbles" dropped the cup.
Mr. William Schiff gave a dinner at the Mayflower Hotel at 8:00 o'clock, Saturday, December 14th, in honor of Lieutenant Fisher. This dinner was attended by eighty-eight guests and from all reports it appears that they had a most enjoyable evening.
…
Lieutenant Fisher is a resident of Oxon Hill, Maryland. He was born 18 September, 1894, at Fort Foote, Maryland. He attended public schools in Maryland and Washington, leaving Eastern High School, Washington, D.C. in 1913 to enter the Naval Academy. He graduated from the Academy in June, 1917, and during the World War served aboard the USS MACDONOUGH. He was attached to the USS UPSHUR in China after the war and was then transferred to the USS UTAH. After serving board the USS FOX and USS STURTEVANT, he was ordered to Pensacola, Florida, in June 1923, for aviation training. After completing that course, he was ordered to VF Squadron One (Fighting Squadron One) of the Battle Fleet, where he served until July, 1926.
He was in command of Squadron VN7D11 at San Diego, Calif., from December, 1927, to July 15, 1929. He is now the executive officer of VB Squadron Two-B, attached to the USS SARATOGA.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

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.

March 1918

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS MacDonough

January 1919

Lieutenant, USS Upshur

Others at this command:

LT George Grove '15

January 1920

Lieutenant, USS Upshur

Others at this command:

LT George Grove '15

January 1921

Lieutenant, USS Upshur

January 1922

Lieutenant, USS Utah

May 1923

Lieutenant, USS Sturtevant

Others at this command:

LTjg Horatio Sickel, IV '20

July 1923

Lieutenant, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command:

LT Conrad Krez '16
LT Henry Mullinnix '16
LT William Garrett '18
LT Ten Eyck Veeder, Jr. '19

LT Walther Maser '19
LT William Sample '19
LTjg Charles Porter '20
LTjg Olin Miner '20

LTjg Vilas Knope '20
LTjg Frederick Roberts '20
2LT Harold Hail '21
LTjg Arnold Isbell '21

September 1923

Lieutenant, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command:

LT Henry Mullinnix '16
LT William Garrett '18
LT Ten Eyck Veeder, Jr. '19

LTjg Charles Porter '20
LTjg Olin Miner '20
LTjg Vilas Knope '20

2LT Harold Hail '21
LTjg Arnold Isbell '21

November 1923

Lieutenant, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command:

LT Henry Mullinnix '16
LT William Garrett '18
LT Ten Eyck Veeder, Jr. '19

LTjg Charles Porter '20
LTjg Olin Miner '20
LTjg Vilas Knope '20

2LT Harold Hail '21
LTjg Arnold Isbell '21

January 1924

Lieutenant, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command:

LT Henry Mullinnix '16
LT William Garrett '18
LT Ten Eyck Veeder, Jr. '19
LTjg Charles Porter '20
LTjg Olin Miner '20

LTjg Vilas Knope '20
LTjg Frederick Buse '20
LTjg Samuel Arthur '20
2LT Harold Hail '21

LTjg Kilburn Roby '21
ENS Frederick Kahn '21
LTjg Arnold Isbell '21
ENS William Beyrer '22

March 1924

Lieutenant, under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command:

LT Henry Mullinnix '16
LT William Garrett '18
LT Ten Eyck Veeder, Jr. '19
LTjg Charles Porter '20
LTjg Olin Miner '20

LTjg Vilas Knope '20
LTjg Frederick Buse '20
LTjg Samuel Arthur '20
2LT Harold Hail '21
LTjg Kilburn Roby '21

ENS Harlow Pino '21
LTjg Frederick Kahn '21
LTjg Arnold Isbell '21
ENS William Beyrer '22

May 1924

Lieutenant, for assignment, Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet, USS Aroostook

Others at this command:

LCDR Grattan Dichman '07

LT Conrad Krez '16

LT William Garrett '18

July 1924

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 1

September 1924

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 1

November 1924

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 1

Others at this command:

LT Arthur Thurston '19

January 1925

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 1

March 1925

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 1

May 1925

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 1

July 1925

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 1

October 1925

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron 1