William Sweeney
Military Person
1856 –
Who is William Sweeney?
William Sweeney was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.
Born in 1856 in Boston, Massachusetts, Sweeney joined the Navy from that state. By June 15, 1880, he was serving as a landsman in the engineering department of the USS Jean Sands. On that night, while Jean Sands was outside the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, he and another sailor, Landsman James F. O'Conner, jumped overboard and rescued a young girl from drowning. For this action, both Sweeney and O'Conner were awarded the Medal of Honor four years later, on October 18, 1884.
Sweeney's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
For jumping overboard from the U.S.S. Jean Sands, opposite the Navy Yard, Norfolk, Va., on the night of 15 June 1880, and rescuing from drowning a young girl who had fallen overboard.
We need you!
Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!
Citation
Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"William Sweeney." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 May 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/biography/william-sweeney/m/0cz8b7l>.
Discuss this William Sweeney biography with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In