Who was the first chief in the navy?

Answer 1

From the official "Chief Petty Officer heritage" page from http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq46-1.htm:

"On April 1, 1893, two important steps were taken. First, the grade of Chief Petty Officer was established; secondly, most enlisted men received a pay raise. The question is often asked, "Who was the first Chief Petty Officer?" The answer is flatly: "There was no first Chief Petty Officer due to the fact that nearly all ratings carried as Petty Officers First Class from 1885 were automatically shifted to the Chief Petty Officer level." Exceptions were Schoolmasters, who stayed at first class; Ship's Writers, who stayed the same but expanded to include second and third class; and Carpenter's Mates, who had been carried as second class petty officers but were extended to include chief, first, second, and third classes. Therefore, the Chief Petty Officer grade on April 1, 1893, encompassed the nine rates shown in Table 2."

Answer 2

Master Chief is a rank; therefore, many people would have become Master Chiefs when the rank was created. So no definite answer there.

Also, some Naval forces do not have that rank.

Answer 3

To-date there has never been a black Master Chief of the Navy. The current MCPO (SW/FMF) J. R. Campa, Jr should have the distinction of being the first minority selectee.