Matthew Perry (naval officer)
|
Commodore Matthew Perry |
|
|---|---|
Perry in the 1850s, in a photograph by Mathew Brady.
|
|
| Birth name | Matthew Calbraith Perry |
| Born |
April 10, 1794 Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Died | March 4, 1858 (aged 63) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1809–1858 |
| Rank | Commodore |
| Commands held |
USS Shark Africa Squadron USS Fulton New York Navy Yard USS Mississippi Mosquito Fleet |
| Battles/wars | |
| Spouse(s) | Jane (Slidell) Perry |
| Relations |
|
Second Barbary War
Suppression of the Slave Trade
Opening of Japan
Mexican–American War
Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a Commodore of the United States Navy and commanded a number of ships. He served in several wars, most notably in the Mexican–American War and the War of 1812. He played a leading role in the opening of Japan to the West with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854.
Perry was very concerned with the education of naval officers and helped develop an apprentice system that helped establish the curriculum at the United States Naval Academy. With the advent of the steam engine, he became a leading advocate of modernizing the US Navy and came to be considered The Father of the Steam Navy in the United States.
Matthew Perry was the son of Sarah Wallace (Alexander) and Navy Captain Christopher R. Perry and the younger brother of Oliver Hazard Perry. Matthew Perry received a midshipman's commission in the Navy in 1809, and was initially assigned to the USS Revenge, under the command of his elder brother.
Perry's early career saw him assigned to several ships, including the USS President (where he served as an aide to Commodore John Rodgers (1772–1838)) which had been in a victorious engagement over a British vessel, HMS Little Belt, shortly before the War of 1812 was officially declared. He continued in this capacity during the War of 1812. Perry was also aboard President when it engaged HMS Belvidera when Rodgers himself fired the first shot of the war at this vessel with a following shot that resulted in a cannon bursting, wounding Rodgers and Perry and killing and wounding others. Perry transferred to the USS United States, and saw little fighting in the war afterwards, since the ship was trapped in port at New London, Connecticut.
...
Wikipedia