American public official, born at Evansville, IN, on the 18th of February 1870. His father, Charles Denby (d. 1904), was minister to China 1885–98. He was educated in the Evansville schools, went to China with his father in 1885, and two years later entered the Chinese imperial maritime customs service. He returned to America in 1894, graduated from the Law school of the university of Michigan in 1896, was admitted to the bar and thereafter practised in Detroit. On the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898 he entered the navy, and as gunner’s mate saw action at Santiago. Later he was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives. From 1905 to 1911 he was a member of the National House of Representatives and was allied with the conservative Republicans. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Naval Affairs. When America entered the World War in 1917 he enlisted at the age of forty-seven as a private in the Marine Corps and was sent to the training station on Paris I., SC. He was advanced to corporal and sergeant and was highly successful in training recruits. In January 1918 he was commissioned second-lieutenant and passing through the various stages, before the end of the year had been promoted major. After the close of the war he was appointed probation officer of the Detroit Municipal Courts. In 1921 he was appointed Secretary of the Navy.
