John Randolph Tucker (naval Officer) - Peruvian Navy and Later Service

Peruvian Navy and Later Service

In 1866, the Peruvian Minister to the United States contacted Tucker to arrange an interview in Washington, D.C.. Peru and Chile were at war with Spain, and the Peruvians invited Tucker to join their Navy as a Rear Admiral, bringing with him two staff officers of his choice. Tucker accepted and went to Peru with Captain David Porter McCorkle and Commander Walter Raleigh Butt. Although some Peruvian naval officers objected to a foreigner in command of their fleet, Tucker did his best until several Peruvian navy officers (including Miguel Grau Seminario, later known as "the Knight of the Seas" at the War of Guano and Salitre (1879-1883), resigned their commissions due to Tucker's appointment. Tucker resigned as commander in chief but remained a rear admiral in the Peruvian Navy, mainly because of the support of President Prado. Prado had planned for Tucker to lead the allied fleet to victory over the Spanish at Puerto Rico, Cuba and Las Filipinas.

Tucker resigned from the Peruvian Navy in 1871. He was then appointed president of the Peruvian Hydrographical Commission of the Amazon, which surveyed the upper Amazon River and its tributaries. This expedition discovered two new rivers, the Trinidad and the Herrera-yacu. Tucker traveled to New York upon completion of the expedition to have maps and atlases made from the Commission's findings.

John Randolph Tucker died at Petersburg, Virginia, on June 12, 1883. His collected papers are in the library of Old Dominion University.