Wilkes, Charles
naval officer, author, was born April 3, 1798, in New York city. In 1826 he was commissioned a lieutenant, and in 1830 was appointed to the charge of the United States department of charts and instruments. It is said of him that he was the first man in the country to set up fixed astronomical instruments and take observations with them. He was commissioned rear-admiral on the retired list July 25, 1866. He was the author of Narrative of United States Exploring Expedition During the Years 1838-42; Western America; and Theory of the Winds. He died Feb. 8, 1877, in Washington, D. C.