Paul Hamilton (October 16,1762 –June 30,1816) was the 3rd United States Secretary of the Navy,from 1809 to 1813.
Paul Hamilton was born in Saint Paul's Parish,South Carolina,on October 16,1762. He left school at the age of sixteen due to financial problems. During the American War of Independence he served in military roles in the Southern United States,fighting under General Francis Marion. He participated with Colonel William Harden in the capture of Fort Balfour.
Following the war,he was a planter and public figure. Hamilton served South Carolina in many public offices including state Representative (1787),State Senator (1794),Comptroller (1800),and the 42nd Governor (1804).
In 1809,President James Madison selected Hamilton to become the third Secretary of the Navy. His term in office included the first months of the War of 1812,during which time the small United States Navy achieved several remarkable victories over British warships. Hamilton was a proponent of military preparedness,especially sea fortifications. Although he wanted to strengthen the Navy,he found the Congress hostile and the President indifferent to his ideas. However,he was responsible for the Naval Hospitals Act of 1811. Secretary Hamilton resigned at the end of 1812 and returned to South Carolina,where he died in Beaufort on June 30,1816.
Three Navy destroyers have been named USS Paul Hamilton in his honor along with USS Hamilton and one Liberty ship named SS Paul Hamilton. Also bearing his name is the town of Hamilton,Georgia. [1]
Oliver Hazard Perry was an United States Navy officer from South Kingstown,Rhode Island. A prominent member of the Perry family naval dynasty,he was the son of Sarah Wallace Alexander and Captain Christopher Raymond Perry,and older brother of Commodore Matthew C. Perry.
David Glasgow Farragut was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral,vice admiral,and admiral in the United States Navy. He is remembered for his order at the Battle of Mobile Bay,usually paraphrased as "Damn the torpedoes,full speed ahead" in U.S. Navy tradition.
William Bainbridge was a commodore in the United States Navy. During his long career in the young American Navy he served under six presidents beginning with John Adams and is notable for his many victories at sea. He commanded several famous naval ships,including USS Constitution,and saw service in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. Bainbridge was also in command of USS Philadelphia when she grounded off the shores of Tripoli,Libya in North Africa,resulting in his capture and imprisonment for many months. In the latter part of his career he became the U.S. Naval Commissioner.
William Jones was an American politician.
Abel Parker Upshur was an American lawyer,planter,judge,and politician from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Active in Virginia state politics for decades,with a brother and a nephew who became distinguished U.S. Navy officers,Judge Upshur left the Virginia bench to become the Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of State during the administration of President John Tyler,a fellow Virginian. He negotiated the treaty that led to the 1845 Texas annexation to the United States and helped ensure that it was admitted as a slave state. Upshur died on February 28,1844,when a gun on the warship USS Princeton exploded during a demonstration.
Isaac Hull was a Commodore in the United States Navy. He commanded several famous U.S. naval warships including USS Constitution and saw service in the undeclared naval Quasi War with the revolutionary French Republic (France) 1796–1800;the Barbary Wars,with the Barbary states in North Africa;and the War of 1812 (1812–1815),for the second time with Great Britain. In the latter part of his career he was Commandant of the Washington Navy Yard in the national capital of Washington,D.C.,and later the Commodore of the Mediterranean Squadron. For the infant U.S. Navy,the battle of USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere on August 19,1812,at the beginning of the war,was the most important single ship action of the War of 1812 and one that made Isaac Hull a national hero.
Richard Rush was an American lawyer,politician and diplomat who served as the 8th United States Attorney General from 1814 to 1817 and the 8th United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1825 to 1829. He served as John Quincy Adams's running mate on the National Republican ticket during the 1828 United States presidential election.
Benjamin Williams Crowninshield served as the United States Secretary of the Navy between 1815 and 1818,during the administrations of Presidents James Madison and James Monroe.
David Porter was an officer in the United States Navy in the rank of captain and the honorary title of commodore. Porter commanded a number of U.S. naval ships. He saw service in the First Barbary War,the War of 1812 and in the West Indies. On July 2,1812,Porter hoisted the banner "Free trade and sailors' rights" as captain of USS Essex. The phrase resonated with many Americans. Porter was later court martialed;he resigned and then joined and became commander-in-chief of the Mexican Navy. Porter County,Indiana was named after him.
John Rodgers was a senior naval officer in the United States Navy during its formative years in the 1790s through the late 1830s. He served under six presidents for nearly four decades. His service took him through many military operations in the Quasi-War with France,both Barbary Wars in North Africa,and the War of 1812 with Britain.
The first John Adams was originally built in 1799 as a frigate for the United States Navy,converted to a corvette in 1809,and later converted back to a frigate in 1830. Named for American Founding Father and president John Adams,she fought in the Quasi-War,the First and Second Barbary Wars,the War of 1812,the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. At the end of her career,she participated in the Union blockade of South Carolina's ports.
Louis Malesherbes Goldsborough was a rear admiral in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He held several sea commands during the Civil War,including that of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. He was also noted for contributions to nautical scientific research.
Thomas Tingey was a commodore of the United States Navy. Originally serving in the British Royal Navy,Tingey later served in the Continental Navy. Tingey served with distinction during the Quasi-War and served as the commandant of the navy yard until his death.
Daniel Carmick was an officer in the United States Marine Corps.
The first USS Hamilton was a United States Navy schooner which served on Lake Ontario from 1812 to 1813 during the War of 1812.
William James was a British lawyer and military historian who wrote important histories of the military engagements of the British with the French and Americans from 1793 through the 1820s.
The presidency of James Madison began on March 4,1809,when James Madison was inaugurated as President of the United States,and ended on March 4,1817. Madison,the fourth United States president,took office after defeating Federalist Charles Cotesworth Pinckney decisively in the 1808 presidential election. He was re-elected four years later,defeating DeWitt Clinton in the 1812 election. His presidency was dominated by the War of 1812 with Britain. After serving two terms as president,Madison was succeeded in 1817 by James Monroe,his Secretary of State and a fellow member of the Democratic-Republican Party.
Josiah Fox (1763–1847) was a British naval architect noted for his involvement in the design and construction of the first significant warships of the United States Navy.
Paul Hamilton may refer to:
Samuel Evans was a long-serving officer in the United States Navy. Evans served with distinction during Quasi-War with France,the First Barbary War and the War of 1812. He later served as the commandant of the New York Navy Yard from 1813 until his death in 1824.