Arizona republican., 1915-08-07
Hero of the Civil War and Secretary of Navy in President Harrison s Cab inet Succumbs After H. ness of Many Months
PRACTTCED LAW
 AT ADVANCED AGE.
Suffered Injuries Ina t Threatened His Life in 1890 i'll Fire That Caused Death of Wife and Daugh- ter in Washington
ASSOCIATED PRESS DrsPArcHl

NEW YORK, Aug. 6.-Gen. Benjamin F. Tracy, who was President Harrison's secretary of the navy. died of paralysis here. in his eighty fifth year after a period of unconsciousness lasting nine days.
 Gen Benjamin Franklin Tracy, lawyer. soldier. jurist and statsman, stood prominent in the public eye for more than so years. At the age of S3, he argued a case before the supreme court of New York. with brilliance undimmed by years.
 Some people have called me the father of the fighting navy" he had said recently "I won't deny it. I believe l am. I tried to take the navy department out of politics and believe l succeeded"
 He referred to the days when he served as secretary of tn navy under President Benjamin Harrison.
 At that time" said General Tracy, the cruiser Baltimore was the largest and strongest ship we had, and she was only a protected cruiser. | saw the necessity of building ships which would fight if they had to-"
 What's the use of building a ship that cant run away from a ship it can't whip?'' demanded the secretary in his appeal. The phrase has be- come historic.
 He won the public. As a conse- quence there appeared three new types of naval vessels; the armored cruisr. the armored battleship, and the scout cruiser He also replaced aIl-steel armor with the present day nickel-steel This aroused England, and literally stripped the armor from the British navy. All naval powers were compelled to adopt the new method of protection.
 General Tracy had a versatile and brilliant career. Born in Oswego. N. Y, in 1880, he was a play and school mate of Senator Thomas Platt. He was admitted to the bar at the age of 21. When 23, he was elected dis trict attorney of Tioga county.
 He helped Horace Greedy organize the republican party of New York state at 25 years of age. At the out break of the Civil War he was serv- ing in the New York legislature IS an assemblyman. It is said that here he made the first legislative speech in the United States in favor of pa per money for war expenses. Like many of his colleagues, Assemblyman Tracy went to the front, after organ izing two regiments. He served first as colonel of the 109th New York.
 At the battle of he Wilderness he won the congressional Medal of Honor and was breveted brigadiec general of volunteers at the close of the war Four times in the wilder ness he rallied his regiment to finally sweep over the Confederate ramparts. At the moment of victory he fell desperately wounded upon his battle flag Historians say his deed made possible Sherman's march to the sea, He closed his war record as com mander of the military post and prison at Elmira. N. Y.
 General Tracy met most of the great Americans of the last half century.
 The greatest man with whom l ever came in contact was Abraham Lincoln" he said. T did not know him intimate he strength of the man fingers in my mind.
 "The greatest president since the Civil War" he continued. T think,
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