John Paul Jones (naval officer)

John Paul Jones (July 6, 1747 - July 18, 1792) served as an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolution and is known as the "Father of the American Navy."

Early life

John Paul Jones was born John Paul in Kirkbean, Kirkcudbright, Scotland. From a young age he dreamed of joining the Royal Navy, and at the age of 13 he sailed out of the British port of Whitehaven on the merchant vessel Friendship on which he found an apprenticeship. In 1764, the ship was sold and he was released from his apprenticeship, which led him to take the job of third mate on the slave ship King George. After two years, he transfered to another slave ship, the Two Friends, and served as first mate. In 1767, he left the Two Friends in Jamaica and met a captain who was sailing close to Paul's hometown. The ship was called the John and during it's passage back to Scotland, both the captain and the first mate died. Paul was the only one on board who knew how to navigate, and upon arriving back in Scotland the owners gave him command of the John.

In 1770, Jones ordered the flogging of one of his crew members who was shirking his duties, a prominent carpenter's son named Mungo Maxwell. When the John arrived in Tobago that summer, Maxwell sued Paul but the case was dismissed by the Admiralty Court. Maxwell left the crew and found his own voyage home, but died at sea. His family used their social influence to bring charges against Paul, believing that the flogging was overly brutal and led to Maxwell's death. John Paul was able to clear his name and realized he needed to climb the social ladder to protect himself, which led him to join the Freemasons on November 22, 1770.

In 1771, the owners of the John sold the ship, but provided John Paul with a good recommendation. In 1772, he was given command of a larger merchant vessel named Betsy. In 1773, while at port in Tobago, Paul killed a member of his crew who was attempting to start a mutiny. Although he turned himself in to local authorties, he feared prosecution by a local jury. He fled the island with plans to return for trial when an Admiralty Court returned, however this plan never came to fruition. He would add the surname Jones to his, and arrived in Fredricksburg, Virginia in 1774.