Daniel J. Callaghan - Early Life

Early Life

Callaghan was born on July 26, 1890, in San Francisco, California, the son of businessman Charles William Callaghan and Rose Wheeler Callaghan. The family had a devout Roman Catholic foundation. One of his younger brothers, William Callaghan (1897–1991), would later go on to a career in the US Navy as well. Both brothers studied at Saint Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco, the elder graduating in the class of 1907. He then graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1911. His first assignment was on board the armored cruiser USS California (ACR-6), in command of a turret with twin 8-inch guns. He was promoted to the rank of Ensign on May 21, 1912.

His second assignment was on the destroyer USS Truxtun (DD-14) in mid-1913. He was promoted to Lieutenant (Junior Grade) in May 1915. In his first few years of service, he developed a reputation as a conscientious sailor, noted for avoiding heavy alcohol consumption and regularly attending Mass. His dedication to naval gunnery also became apparent. Some years later, one of his captains, Joel Pringle, would write: " devotion to duty, sound judgment and ability to inspire loyalty in his subordinates have resulted in a constant and steady increase in the efficiency of the above mentioned batteries. At the recent battle practice of the Pacific Fleet in 5-inch guns, he made the largest percentage of hits of any ship of the Fleet."

During his first few years of naval service, Callaghan had been courting Mary Tormey of Oakland, California; the two married on July 23, 1914. Their son, Daniel Judson Callaghan Jr., was born in Alameda, California, on October 16, 1915.

In July 1915, the Truxtun was on its way to Alaska when it broke down and was unable to continue its mission. Initially, the blame fell on Callaghan, who had apparently ordered incorrect parts for the condenser. He was suspended from duty and ordered to appear before a court-martial. Subsequent investigation, however, found that another man was responsible for the error and Callaghan received a full acquittal and was reinstated. A few months latter, he was appointed as commanding officer of the Truxtun, but the stress of his trial appeared to have left its mark—at the age of 25 years, his hair had already turned gray.