Leonard G. Shepard

Leonard G. Shepard , was a captain in the United States Revenue Cutter Service and was appointed in 1889 by Secretary of the Treasury William Windom as the first military head of the service since 1869. His formal title was that of Chief of the Revenue Marine Division of the Department of the Treasury. Although he was never formally known as Commandant, he is recognized today as the first Commandant of the Coast Guard.

Shepard was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1846. He entered the Revenue Cutter Service as a third lieutenant on September 15, 1865, reporting aboard the USRC Moccasin. He was promoted to second lieutenant in 1869 and first lieutenant in 1870. As first lieutenant he commanded the USRC James Guthrie in Baltimore as well as USRC Washington and USRC Grant in New York. After his promotion to captain on March 14, 1878 he took command of the USRC McLane at Galveston, Texas and the USRC George Bibb at Ogdensburg, New York. In 1883 he took command of the Revenue Cutter School at New Bedford, Massachusetts and the USRC Salmon P. Chase. From 1887 to 1889 he was in command of the USRC Rush in San Francisco, California and just before his appointment to chief of the division was serving as commanding officer of the USRC Bear.

Source: Wikipedia