Edward D. Taussig

Who was Edward D. Taussig?

Edward David Taussig was a decorated Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. He is best remembered for being the officer to claim Wake Island after the Spanish-American War, as well as accepting the physical relinquishment of Guam by its indigenous governor following the Treaty of Paris in which Spain ceded Guam to the U.S. following nearly 300 years of colonial rule. Taussig briefly served as Governor of Guam. He was the first of a four-generational family of United States Naval Academy graduates that served from 1863 to 1954 including his son, Vice Admiral Joseph K. Taussig, grandson Captain Joseph K. Taussig, Jr., and great-grandson, Captain Joseph K. Taussig USMC.