<div> <p class='DefaultText'>Rear Admiral Richmond Pearson Hobson was a charismatic American hero whose colorful life at the beginning of the twentieth century reflected the rapidly changing politics of his day. Highly honored in his lifetime he is largely unknown today.</p> <p class='DefaultText'>During the Spanish-American War Hobson survived a “suicide mission” sinking the <em>Merrimac</em> in an ironically failed attempt to block Santiago Harbor in Cuba. He was instantly hailed as a hero; but his personality proved more controversial. A Southerner Hobson was involved with such touchy political issues as civil rights women’s suffrage and prohibition. To many he was a political genius able to predict political changes well before they became reality. To others he was an egoist who stepped on more than a few toes including those of the two President Roosevelts to further his own political career.</p> </div>