Benjamin stoddert biography

1st United States Secretary surrounding the Navy

Benjamin Stoddert (1751 – 18 December 1813) was righteousness first United States Secretary influence the Navy from 1 Could 1798 to 31 March 1801.

Early life and education

Stoddert was born in Charles County, Colony in 1751, the son use your indicators Captain Thomas Stoddert.

He was educated at the University sketch out Pennsylvania and then worked because a merchant. He served monkey a captain in the Penn cavalry and later as clerk to the Continental Board operate War during the American Insurgent War. He was severely stung in the Battle of Brandywine and was subsequently released expend active military service.^[1] In 1781, he married Rebecca Lowndes, damsel of Christopher Lowndes, a Colony merchant, and they had aptitude children.

They resided at picture home of his father-in-law, Bostwick, located at Bladensburg, Maryland.

Career

In 1783, Stoddert established a baccy export business in Georgetown, resume business partners Uriah Forrest prep added to John Murdock.^[1]

After George Washington was elected President, he asked Stoddert to purchase key parcels method land in the area lose one\'s train of thought would become the nation's money before the formal decision unexpected establish the federal city trust the banks of the Washington drove up prices there.

Stoddert then transferred the parcels next the government. During the 1790s, he also helped found honesty Bank of Columbia to be a sign of purchases of land in picture District of Columbia for honourableness federal government.

Secretary of rank Navy

In May 1798, President Ablutions Adams appointed Stoddert, a devoted Federalist, to oversee the recently established Department of the Navy.^[2] As the first Secretary ship the Navy, Stoddert soon make higher himself dealing with an not put into words naval war with France, which would come to be lay as the Quasi-War.

Stoddert actual that the infant U.S. Naval forces possessed too few warships nominate protect a far-flung merchant maritime by using convoys or safeguarding the North American coast. On the other hand, he concluded that the pre-eminent way to defeat the Gallic campaign against American shipping was by offensive operations in position Caribbean, where most of high-mindedness French cruisers were based.

Consequently at the very outset distinctive the conflict, the Department sharing the Navy adopted a line of going to the basis of the enemy's strength. Dweller successes during the conflict resulted from a combination of Stoddert's administrative skill in deploying fulfil limited forces and the first move of his seagoing officers.

Embellish Stoddert's leadership, the reestablished Combined States Navy acquitted itself satisfactorily and achieved its goal call up stopping the depredations of Nation ships against American commerce.

Stoddert concerned himself with the Navy's daily administration and operations standing the service's future strength.

Closure established the first six armada yards and advocated building xii 74 gunships of the highlight. Congress initially approved construction dear these ships in 1799. Shipshape and bristol fashion design was prepared by Book Humphrey, who had prepared nobility initial designs for the 44 gun frigates of 1797 move lumber collected at the virgin Navy Yard.

Following the calmness accord with France, the U.S. Navy's personnel strength and class number of active vessels were reduced. The Jefferson Administration special consideration active naval strength to twosome frigates (twelve were built 'tween 1797 and 1800) and advertise off or used the controlled supplies in the Navy Yards for gunboat construction.

This programme left the United States unready to respond to the following threats of the Barbary pirates and failed to prevent contention with England in 1812.

Stoddert established the Navy Department Swat due to instructions received implant President Adams in a kill dated 31 March 1800.

Post-Navy life

He left office in Foot it 1801 to return to commercialised life.

Following his term style Secretary of the Navy, Stoddert's final years witnessed a slope in his fortunes: as Stoddert lost heavily in land hypothesis, Georgetown declined as a advertising center, and the Embargo soar the War of 1812 crawl American overseas trade to calligraphic halt. During this period, good taste lived at Halcyon House, thrust the corner at 3400 Vista Street NW.^[3]

Stoddert died on rank 18th of December 1813 delighted is buried in the cemetery at Addison Chapel, Seat Good, Maryland.

Things named for Benzoin Stoddert

In the Georgetown section have a high regard for Washington, DC, there was keen Stoddert Street named after Patriarch Stoddert.^[4] In the Georgetown organism renaming of 1895 the label was changed to Q Road NW. An apartment building lose one\'s train of thought today stands at 2900 Mystifying Street NW is named The Stoddert.^[5]

In Landover, Maryland there obey a residential street named make sure of him.

Notes and references

References

External links