Philip Bogan Keefer

Coppersmith, U.S. Navy

Medal of Honor Recipient

Spanish-American War

Coppersmith Philip Bogan Keefer (4 September 1875 - 15 January 1949) was a U.S. Navy sailor who received the U.S. military's highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions during the Spanish-American War.

Philip Bogan Keefer was born on 4 September 1875 in Washington, DC. On 20 July 1898, Keefer was serving as a Coppersmith on the USS Iowa (BB-4) off the coast of Santiago de Cuba when a boiler accident occurred. For his actions during the incident, Keefer was issued the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Coppersmith, U.S. Navy

Citation: On board the USS Iowa off Santiago de Cuba, 20 July 1898. Following the blow-out of a manhole gasket of that vessel which caused the fireroom to be filled with live steam and the floor plates to be covered with boiling water, Keefer showed courageous and zealous conduct in hauling fires from 2 furnaces of boiler B.

Death and Burial

Coppersmith Philip Bogan Keefer died on 15 January 1949. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, in Section 11, Lot 527-SH.