Rear Admiral Richmond Pearson Hobson was a charismatic American hero whose colorful life at the beginning of the twentieth century reflected the rapidly changing politics of his day. Highly honored in his lifetime, he is largely unknown today.

During the Spanish-American War, Hobson survived a “suicide mission,” sinking the Merrimac in an ironically failed attempt to block Santiago Harbor in Cuba. He was instantly hailed as a hero; but his personality proved more controversial. A Southerner, Hobson was involved with such touchy political issues as civil rights, women’s suffrage, and prohibition. To many he was a political genius, able to predict political changes well before they became reality. To others, he was an egoist who stepped on more than a few toes, including those of the two President Roosevelts, to further his own political career.