John Paul Jones
| John Paul Jones | |
|---|---|
A 1781 painting of John Paul Jones by Charles Willson Peale
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| Birth name | John Paul |
| Born |
July 6, 1747 Arbigland, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland |
| Died | July 18, 1792 (aged 45) Paris, France |
| Buried at | Naval Academy Chapel, Annapolis |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of Great Britain (1760–1776) United States of America (1776–1787) Russian Empire (1787–1788)
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| Service/branch |
 Merchant Navy Continental Navy Imperial Russian Navy
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| Years of service | 1760–1788 |
| Rank |
Captain (British Merchant Navy) Captain (Continental Navy) Rear Admiral (Imperial Russian Navy) |
| Battles/wars |
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| Awards |
Institution du Mérite Militaire Congressional Gold Medal Order of St. Anne |
| Signature |  |
John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends and enemies—who accused him of piracy—among America's political elites, and his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to this day. As such, he is sometimes referred to as the "Father of the American Navy," (an epithet that he shares with John Barry). He later served in the Imperial Russian Navy, subsequently obtaining the rank of rear admiral.
Jones was born John Paul (he added "Jones" in later life to hide from law enforcement) on the estate of Arbigland near Kirkbean in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright on the southwest coast of Scotland. His father John Paul, Sr. was a gardener at Arbigland, and his mother was Jean McDuff (1708–1767). His parents married on November 29, 1733 in New Abbey, Kirkcudbright. Living at Arbigland at the time was Helen Craik (1751–1825), later a novelist.
John Paul started his maritime career at the age of 13, sailing out of Whitehaven in the northern English county of Cumberland as apprentice aboard Friendship under Captain Benson. Paul's older brother William Paul had married and settled in Fredericksburg, Virginia, the destination of many of the younger Jones' voyages.
For several years, John sailed aboard a number of British merchant and slave ships, including King George in 1764 as third mate and Two Friends as first mate in 1766. In 1768, he abandoned his prestigious position on the profitable Two Friends while docked in Jamaica. He found his own passage back to Scotland, and eventually obtained another position.
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