Graduating 3rd of 45 in the class of 1895,[3] he served the required two years of sea duty as a passed midshipman before being commissioned ensign on July 1, 1897.

[4] During the Spanish–American War, Brumby was a junior officer aboard the armored cruiser New York, flagship of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson's squadron at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba, and later served during the Philippine Insurrection.

[5] As lieutenant commander, he served as navigator aboard the USS New Hampshire making a one-week ship visit to St. Petersburg, Russia, in May 1911.

His first command was the protected cruiser Cincinnati, which he received shortly before the United States' entry into World War I,[1] during which he was promoted to the temporary rank of captain.

[4] On December 17, 1927, the United States Coast Guard destroyer USCGD Paulding (CG-17) accidentally rammed and sank the Control Force submarine USS S-4 (SS-109) off Provincetown, Massachusetts.

"[7] To investigate the sinking and failed rescue operation, the Navy convened a court of inquiry presided over by Rear Admiral Richard H. Jackson.

Under questioning, Brumby appeared to be technically uninformed about the details of the rescue operation: "I just can't be positive about such things.

Furthermore, Wilbur felt that Brumby's exemplary 31-year service record outshone whatever "errors or oversight or failures" could be inferred from his testimony.

He died at the age of 75 at the Norfolk Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia, after a two-week illness attributed to complications following an operation.