[citation needed] He served in the Union Army during the Civil War, and commanded the 109th New York Infantry Regiment.

Tracy remained on the bench until the end of 1882 when Andrews resumed his seat after being defeated by William C. Ruger in the election for Chief Judge.

[citation needed] In 1875, Tracy defended the well-known preacher Henry Ward Beecher during his highly publicized trial for adultery.

[7] On March 5, 1889, Tracy was nominated by President Benjamin Harrison to become Secretary of the Navy and was confirmed by the Senate in a ten-minute session without objection.

Tracy himself lost consciousness due to the smoke but was rescued by Chief Joseph Parris of the D.C. Fire Department.

[12] Following a brief period of mourning, during which he received many messages of condolences from heads of state and other prominent individuals, Tracy returned to his official duties.

[13] Tracy was noted for his role in the creation of the "New Navy", a major reform of the service, which had fallen into obsolescence after the Civil War.

Like President Harrison, he supported a naval strategy focused more on offense, rather than on coastal defense and commerce raiding.

In 1890, Mahan published his major work, The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783—a book that achieved an international readership.

Drawing on historical examples, Mahan supported the construction of a "blue-water Navy" that could do battle on the high seas.

[1][2] A funeral was held at Trinity Church in Manhattan on August 9, and he was buried in a family plot in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.