John F. Chase (1843–1914) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.

An artilleryman, Chase earned the medal by continuing to work his cannon despite intense Confederate fire at the Battle of Chancellorsville.

In Florida, he was involved in various business pursuits, including an attempt to form a retirement community for former soldiers in Veteran City, today known as Gulfport.

Immediately after reaching Chase's gun, a Confederate shell exploded nearby and struck Kirby in the hip, leaving him incapacitated.

The gun was finally disabled when it was hit directly in the muzzle by a Confederate shell; the damage prevented Chase and Lebroke from reloading the weapon.

Seeing that their position was about to be overrun, Second Lieutenant Louis J. Sacriste, in command of the 116th Pennsylvania's Company D, led his men through the smoke and enemy fire to reach the 5th Maine.

[4] While Chase and Lebroke lifted the rear of their cannon, Sacriste and his company attached ropes to the front and pulled the gun from the field.

[4] Satisfied that the cannons were out of the Confederates' reach, Chase returned to the field, picked up Lieutenant Kirby, and carried him to the rear.

The 5th Maine Battery was a part of General John F. Reynolds' I Corps and fought at Seminary Hill on the first day of the battle, July 1, 1863.

[8] He married Maria Merrill and had seven children: George Edgar, Lena M, Beulah C, Frank, Maude Elizabeth, Ralph, and Bernette.

These included working as a food peddler, owning a steamboat, and trying unsuccessfully to gain permission to build a power station and streetcar.

Using funding provided by Davis, Chase promoted the growth of Veteran City, today known as Gulfport, on St. Petersburg's southwest side.