John Dempsey
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipient
About John Dempsey
Lived 1848 – 1884 (aged 35–36).
John Dempsey (–1884), was an Irish-born American military officer, who served as a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.
Biography Born in 1848 in Ireland, Dempsey immigrated to the United States and joined the U.S. Navy from Massachusetts. By January 23, 1875, he was serving as a seaman on the . On that day, while Kearsarge was at Shanghai, China, he jumped overboard and rescued a shipmate Landsman named John J. Linden from drowning. For this action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
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Important facts
People in John Dempsey's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped John Dempsey's
Frequently asked questions
Who was John Dempsey?
United States Navy Medal of Honor recipient
When was John Dempsey born?
John Dempsey was born in 1848 in Ireland.
When did John Dempsey die?
John Dempsey died on 14 September 1884 in San Francisco.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: John Dempsey (Medal of Honor)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John Dempsey. https://biography.guide/john-dempsey-1848/
MLA: "John Dempsey." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-dempsey-1848/.
Chicago: "John Dempsey." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-dempsey-1848/.
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