Adolph E . Borie Adolph Edward Borie ( November 25 , 1809 – February 5 , 1880 ) was a United States merchant and politician who briefly served ( 1869 ) as Secretary of the Navy in the Ulysses S . Grant administration . Biography . Borie was born in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , the son of a French emigrant merchant and a Haitian refugee . He attended the University of Pennsylvania , graduated in 1825 , toured Europe , and in 1828 entered his father ' s firm . Silk and tea were the emphasized commodities during his 30 - year tenure in the firm . In politics he was a Whig and favored protectionist trade policies . In 1843 he was appointed U . S . Consul in Belgium . He became a Republican and supported the Union cause in the Civil War . He was a founding member and one - time president of Philadelphia ' s Union Club , and guided the recruiting and equipping of several regiments . In 1868 he was nominated as Secretary of the Navy by President - elect Grant , whom he had befriended in the past . Grant , in his choices for various posts , had a tendency of choosing people who were not fully qualified or able for the posts . A few of his nominees were exceptional in their service , most notably his effective Secretary of State Hamilton Fish , Secretary of the Treasury Benjamin Bristow , and Attorney General Alphonso Taft . But , in his initial stages of choosing his 1869 cabinet , it was a hit - or - miss matter . Borie had been very friendly to Grant on a visit to Philadelphia that he chaired . Grant , considering that he owed something to Borie and to the Republicans in the Keystone State announced that there would be a man from Pennsylvania in his cabinet . When pressed for details ( " was it a member of the Republican machine under Simon Cameron ? " ) Grant ' s sense of humor took over and he became mysterious , talking about a " man from Philadelphia " . The question of who was this " man from Philadelphia " bothered the public , but the revelation it was Borie was met with amazement . Nobody had ever heard of him outside of Philadelphia . Borie had little interest in public office , and freely admitted that Admiral David Dixon Porter was the actual manager . Borie disliked the Native American Indian names borne by so many United States Navy ships of the post - American Civil War era , and during his very short term as Secretary of the Navy , had a great many vessels renamed after states of the Union , creatures and personages from classical Greek or Roman mythology , or names that conveyed power or strength . A sample of names that Borie selected were Florida , " Centaur " , and " Tornado " . His successor , George M . Robeson , had most of these ships reverted to their original names a few months later . Ironically , Borie was a Philadelphian associated with the town of Manayunk ( now a Philadelphia neighborhood ) , and one of the vessels that was never given back its original name was USS " Manayunk " , which permanently kept its new name of USS " Ajax " . Borie served only a few months ( March 9 to June 25 ) in the position . He returned to private life in order to resume his business interests , but remained close friends with Grant , who he joined for much of his world tour in 1879 - 1879 . For his brief service , two ships were christened USS " Borie " in his honor . In his later business career , he interested himself in railroads and financial concerns . He was a noted patron of the arts .