William H. Schuetze

William Henry Schuetze (July 18, 1853 – April 4, 1902) was an American naval officer. He was born to German parents in St. Louis, Missouri, and attended the United States Naval Academy (USNA), graduating first in his class in 1873. While attending the USNA, he grew close to his roommate Charles Deering, and the two became lifelong friends. After graduating, Schuetze served on a number of United States Navy ships. In 1882, he and Lieutenant Giles B. Harber were ordered to search for survivors of the ill-fated Jeannette expedition. The two spent months searching the Siberian coast, but were unable to return to the U.S. until 1884, along with the bodies of ten personnel. Their rescue attempt was noted by President Chester A. Arthur in his December 1882 State of the Union address.

In 1885, President Grover Cleveland ordered Schuetze to return to Russia to deliver letters of gratitude and gifts for those who assisted in the retrieval operation. Upon returning to the U.S., he worked in the Navy Department, including the office of Assistant Secretary of the Navy William McAdoo. During the Spanish–American War, Schuetze served as navigator for the and took part in the bombardment of San Juan and the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. He later returned to the Navy Department and worked there until his death in 1902. Deering dedicated a sculpture, Serenity, in Schuetze's honor. The sculpture is located in Meridian Hill Park in Washington, D.C.

Early life William Henry Schuetze was born July 18, 1853 in St. Louis, Missouri. His father, John Edward Schuetze, was a physician born in Kirchbarkau, present-day Germany, who emigrated to the United States in 1832. After retiring from medical practice due to ill health, he operated a wholesale drug business and served as a consul to Scandinavian countries. His mother, Juliana Hahn Schuetze, was born in Klingenmünster and emigrated to the United States in 1829. Juliana's younger brother, Michael Hahn, later served as governor of Louisiana and a member of Congress. John and Juliana married in 1844 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Schuetze lived in the German Confederation from the ages of five to seven, residing near Hamburg on his uncle's estate and receiving private education. After returning to St. Louis, Schuetze attended a German school followed by Washington University. With the assistance of Representative Erastus Wells, Schuetze transferred to the United States Naval Academy (USNA) in June 1869 and was appointed midshipman. During his first year at the USNA, Schuetze was second in his class. He was first in his class the following three years and promoted to senior officer the fourth year. When Schuetze graduated in 1873, he was ranked first in his class, just above Deering.

After traveling further into Russia, the two had a boat built which they sailed to Yakutsk on the Lena River. During the warmer months, they were able to sail further north to the Lena delta, searching the Siberian coast from Ust-Olenyok to the Yana delta. They were unable to find additional survivors, but did locate ten bodies of the deceased personnel in late 1882, including expedition leader George W. De Long, surgeon James Markham Ambler, and meteorologist Jerome J. Collins. Schuetze and Harber were unable to leave for the U.S. until 1883 due to weather conditions. He was stationed on the USS Chicago in 1889 as part of the Squadron of Evolution and served there until 1892. In 1899, Schuetze was promoted to lieutenant commander and, at his request, stationed on the USS Philadelphia as it patrolled the Pacific Ocean. He returned to the Navy Department in 1901 and resumed his role as superintendent of the Compass Division. Three days later his funeral took place at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square. Among those in attendance were Navy Secretary John Davis Long and McAdoo. The honorary pallbearers were Admiral Thomas B. Howard, Rear Admirals Cameron Winslow, Vincendon L. Cottman, and Reginald F. Nicholson, Commodore Edmund Beardsley Underwood, Major General Wallace F. Randolph, Colonel George C. Reed, and Lieutenant Commander Charles Laird. The United States Marine Band and four companies from the Marine Barracks were the military escorts from the church to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station, where his body was then taken to St. Louis, accompanied by Deering. After another funeral ceremony took place with his family in St. Louis, Schuetze was buried in Concordia Cemetery.

In 1915, Deering commissioned a sculpture from his friend, Spanish-Catalan artist José Clarà. When the sculpture was finally completed in 1921, instead of installing it at his residence in Spain, Deering donated it to the American people in remembrance of Schuetze. The inscription on the sculpture's base reads: SERENITY/IN REMEMBRANCE OF WILLIAM HENRY SCHEUTZE/LIEUTENANT COMMANDER UNITED STATES NAVY/MDCCCLIII-MCMII. Schuetze's last name is misspelled. The sculpture has been repeatedly damaged throughout its history and has been called the "most vandalized memorial" in Washington, D.C.