Midgett grew up on Cape Hatteras, on the outer banks of the North Carolina coast, and like his father and other family members, he enlisted in the United States Life-Saving Service in 1898.[4] Midgett remained in command of a life–saving station when the United States Revenue Cutter Service merged with the United States Life-Saving Service to form the United States Coast Guard in 1915.[5]
The Coast Guard dedicated the USCGC Midgett to his service in 1971. The last of the Hamilton-class, in the early 1990s, the vessel was modernized to extend service. Later, in 2018, the Coast Guard renamed her to the USCGC John Midgett, freeing the vessel name for a new Legend-class cutter. That next year, the USCGC Midgett (WMSL-757) was commissioned into service, carrying the name for another generation.
^"Coast Guard and the Southeastern Coast". The Patriot Files. Retrieved 2013-01-14. Most notable among the Outer Banks life-savers is the renown Midgett family, who have patrolled the beaches of the Outer Banks since at least the 1790s. Even among other heroic families of Hatteras, the Midgetts are considered mighty men. Claiming one hero in a family is usually considered legendary. Yet, over the years ten men of the mighty Midgetts have been awarded Life-Saving Medals of Honor, a record that remains unsurpassed in the history of the Life–Saving Service and the current day Coast Guard.
^"General Order NO. 1"(PDF). USCG Document Collections. U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office. Retrieved 3 November 2023.