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{{short description|Scottish-born American naval officer (1747–1792)}}
{{for-multi|the musician|John Paul Jones (musician)|other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2021}}
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| name = John Paul Jones
| nickname = Father of the American Navy
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_name = John Paul
| birth_date = {{birth date|1747|07|06|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Arbigland]], [[Kirkcudbrightshire
| death_date = {{death date and age|1792|07|18|1747|07|06|mf=yes}}
| death_place = [[Paris]],
| placeofburial = [[Naval Academy Chapel]], [[Annapolis, Maryland]]
| allegiance = {{
| branch =
| serviceyears =
| rank =
| unit =
| commands =
| battles = {{tree list}}
* [[American Revolutionary War]]
** [[Raid on Canso (1776)|Raid on Canso]]
** [[Battle of Nassau]]
** [[Battle of Block Island]]
** [[North Channel Naval Duel]]
** [[Battle of Flamborough Head]]
* [[Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792)]]
** [[Naval actions at the Siege of Ochakov (1788)|Naval actions at the Siege of Ochakov]]
{{tree list/end}}
| awards = [[Order of Military Merit (France)|
| relations =
| laterwork =
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}}
'''John Paul Jones''' (born '''John Paul'''; July 6, 1747
During the ensuing war with [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]], Jones participated in several [[Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War|naval engagements]] with the British [[Royal Navy]]. Commanding the warship ''[[USS Ranger (1777)|Ranger]]'', Jones conducted a naval campaign in the [[North Sea]], attacking British merchant shipping and other civilian targets. As part of the campaign, he raided the English town of [[Whitehaven]], won the [[North Channel Naval Duel]] and fought at the [[Battle of Flamborough Head]], gaining him an international reputation. Left without a command in 1787, Jones joined the [[Imperial Russian Navy]] and rose to the rank of [[rear admiral]]. However, after he was accused of raping a 10-year-old girl, Katerina Stepanova, he was forced out of the Russian navy and soon died in [[Paris]] at the age of 45. A [[Freemasonry|Freemason]], Jones made many friends among U.S. political elites, including [[John Hancock]], [[Thomas Jefferson]] and [[Benjamin Franklin]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tcodL2NWwNMC&pg=SL1-PA4791|page=A4791|title=Congressional Record. Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|author=United States. Congress}} Quote: "Tom Paine, Patrick Henry, James Otis, and John Paul Jones were all Masons."</ref>
==Early life and training==
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John Paul started his maritime career when he was 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|Fredericksburg]], [[Colony of Virginia]]. Virginia was the destination of many of the younger Paul's voyages.
For several years, Paul
John Paul's career was quickly and unexpectedly advanced during his next voyage aboard the [[brig]] ''John'', which sailed from port in 1768, when both the captain and a ranking mate suddenly died of [[yellow fever]]. With the crew encouraging and voting him to, Paul managed to navigate the ship back to a safe port, and in reward for this feat the vessel's grateful Scottish owners made him master of the ship and its crew, giving him ten percent of the cargo.<ref name="seacoast">[http://www.seacoastnh.com/Maritime-History/John-Paul-Jones/John-Paul-Jones-Timeline/ John Paul Jones Timeline], SeacoastNH.com</ref> He led two voyages to the West Indies before running into difficulty.
During his second voyage in 1770, John Paul had one of his crew flogged after trying to start a mutiny about early payment of wages, leading to accusations that his discipline was "unnecessarily cruel". These claims were initially dismissed, but his favorable reputation was destroyed when the sailor died a few weeks later. John Paul was arrested for his involvement in the man's death. He was imprisoned in [[Kirkcudbright Tolbooth]] but later released on bail.<ref>{{Citation|title=1770 Extract of Warrant for the arrest of John Paul (Jones)|publisher=Scottish Archive Network (SCAN)|work=Virtual Vault – Court Records|url=http://www.scan.org.uk/researchrtools/courtrecords.htm|access-date=22 October 2012}}</ref> The negative effect of this episode on his reputation is indisputable.<ref name="seacoast" /> The local governor encouraged John Paul to leave the area and change his name while on bail. The man who died of his injuries was not a usual sailor but an adventurer from a very influential Scottish family.
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Leaving Scotland, John Paul commanded a London-registered vessel named ''Betsy'', a [[West Indiaman]] mounting 22 guns, engaging in commercial speculation in [[Tobago]] for about 18 months.<ref>[[#Brady|Brady, 1906]] pp. 10, 164</ref> This came to an end, however, when he killed a mutinous crew member with a sword in a dispute over wages.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biography – Captain John Paul Jones|publisher=History.navy.mil|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/jones_jp_conrad.htm|access-date=2014-04-22|archive-date=June 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629114637/http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/jones_jp_conrad.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Years later, in a letter to Benjamin Franklin describing the incident, John Paul claimed that the killing was committed in self-defense, but he was not willing to wait to be tried in an [[Admiralty court|Admiral's Court]], which would have taken months to assemble, and where the family of his first victim had been influential.
He felt compelled to flee. There is an 18-month gap in Jones's history, and some biographers explore the possibility that in order to escape Tobago, he may have become a pirate. Rumors of piracy followed him, but may have been created by his detractors.<ref>Johnson, Gerald W. The First Captain, 1947 pp. 49</ref> But he eventually reappeared in Fredericksburg, Virginia, leaving his fortune behind; he also sought to arrange the affairs of his brother, who had died there without leaving any immediate family. He was granted land in Frederick County, Virginia.<ref>Paul, John. Land Grant 7 August 1760. N.p., 1760. Print. [https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990008592180205756 Library of Virginia website] Retrieved 9 August 2023.</ref> About this time, John Paul assumed the surname of [[Jones (surname)|Jones]] (in addition to his original surname). There is a long-held tradition in the state of North Carolina that John Paul adopted the name "Jones" in honor of [[Willie Jones (statesman)|Willie Jones]] of [[Halifax, North Carolina]].<ref>Cotten, Elizabeth. The John Paul Jones-Willie Jones Tradition Charlotte: Heritage Printers, 1966</ref><ref name="Gordon">[https://archive.org/stream/oldhalifax00gord/oldhalifax00gord_djvu.txt Old Halifax], Ambistead C. Gordon</ref> Jones courted [[Dorothea Dandridge Henry|Dorothea Spotswood Dandridge]], the future bride of [[Patrick Henry]], and made a valuable friendship with Dr. John K. Read<ref>{{cite book| title=John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy| first=Evan| last=Thomas| publisher=Simon and Schuster| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8rQSAU63pr0C&q=%22Evan+Thomas%22+%22coat+of+arms%22+%22Father+of+the+American+Navy%22&pg=PA92| year=2010| isbn=978-1451603996| access-date=2020-10-15}} pp. 37ff.</ref> during his time in Virginia.<ref>Morison, Samuel Eliot. "The Willie Jones-John Paul Jones Tradition." ''The William and Mary Quarterly'', vol. 16, no. 2, 1959, pp. 198–206. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1916823. Retrieved 11 Aug. 2023.</ref> In the summer of 1775, Jones met [[Joseph Hewes]] and other revolutionary leaders in Philadelphia.
From that period, America became "the country of his fond election", as he afterwards expressed himself to Baron [[Joan Derk van der Capellen tot den Pol]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Sherburne |first=John H. |title=The Life and Character of John Paula Jones |publisher=Adriance, Sherman & Co. Publishers |location=New York |year=1851 |pages=10}}</ref> It was not long afterward that John Paul Jones joined the American navy to fight against Britain.
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After making the necessary preparations, Jones sailed for France on November 1, 1777, with orders to assist the American cause however possible. The American commissioners in France were Benjamin Franklin, [[Silas Deane]], and [[Arthur Lee (diplomat)|Arthur Lee]], and they listened to Jones's strategic recommendations. They promised him the command of {{ship||Indien|1778|2}}, a new vessel being constructed for America by the Netherlands in Amsterdam. Britain, however, was able to divert ''L'Indien'' away from American hands by exerting pressure to ensure its sale to France instead (which had not yet allied with America).<ref>{{Cite book|title=John Paul Jones's Locker|edition=1st|last1=Feld|first1=Jonathan|publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command|location=Washington, D.C.|page=23|date=2017}}</ref> Jones was again left without a command, an unpleasant reminder of his stagnation in Boston from late 1776 until early 1777. It is thought that during this time Jones developed his close friendship with Franklin, whom he greatly admired.
On February 6, 1778, France signed the [[Treaty of Alliance (1778)|Treaty of Alliance]] with America, formally recognizing the independence of the new American republic. Eight days later, Captain Jones's ''Ranger'' became the first American naval vessel to be formally [[
====''Ranger'' attacks the British====
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On June 8, 1788, Jones was awarded the [[Order of Saint Anna]], but he left the following month, an embittered man. In 1789, Jones arrived in [[Warsaw]], [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Poland]], where he befriended [[Tadeusz Kościuszko]], a veteran of the American Revolutionary War. Kościuszko advised him to leave the service of the autocratic Russia<!-- Russia's autocracy is irrelevant to this paragraph and serves only to put a positive slant on Jones's struggle to find employment in Russia. --> and serve another power, suggesting [[Gustavian era|Sweden]]. Despite Kościuszko's backing, the [[Swedes]], while somewhat interested, in the end decided not to recruit Jones.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Kosciuszko Ksiaze chlopow|author=Alex Storozynski|publisher=W.A.B.|pages=189–191|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yvanuAAACAAJ|year=2011|access-date=2 January 2013|isbn=978-83-7414-930-3}}</ref> Catherine, who retained a personal enmity for Jones, had blocked his appointment to not just the Swedish navy, but the Danish navy also.<ref name=":1" />
[[File:
====Rape
In April 1789, Jones was accused of raping a 10-year-old girl named Katerina Stepanova.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bell |first=Jacob |date=2019 |title="Я Тоже:" The Rape of Katerina Stepanova and John Paul Jones' Russian Legacy |url=https://pasttensejournal.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/past-tense-vol-7-spring-2019-2.pdf |journal=Past Tense: Graduate Review of History |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=33 |via=Past Tense Journal}}</ref> <!-- The original citation was unclear over the name of her father. The new citation is not.
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The international pressure applied by American and French connections via the Comte de Ségur exerted a softening influence on Catherine. She granted him two years leave abroad, a de facto exile. According to Jacob Bell:
:The Empress' actions here proved her priorities. She dismissed a tried naval commander, especially sought out by her agents abroad, during wartime, showing that she merited the allegations against Jones higher than his potential martial service.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Bell |first=Jacob |date=2019 |title="Я Тоже:" The Rape of Katerina Stepanova and John Paul Jones' Russian Legacy |url=https://pasttensejournal.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/past-tense-vol-7-spring-2019-2.pdf |journal=Past Tense Graduate Review of History |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=47 |via=Past Tense Journal}}</ref>▼
▲
During this period, he wrote his ''Narrative of the Campaign of the Liman''.<ref name="Narrative of the Campaign of the Liman (Audiobook)">{{Cite web |author=John Paul Jones |date=1830 |title=Narrative of the Campaign of the Liman (Audiobook) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxaJKSRp8KA |publisher=New York: D. Fanshaw}}</ref> <!-- This is not a credible source. The actual book should be cited, preferably with further details.▼
▲During this period, he wrote his ''Narrative of the Campaign of the Liman''.<ref name="Narrative of the Campaign of the Liman (Audiobook)">{{Cite web |author=John Paul Jones |date=1830 |title=Narrative of the Campaign of the Liman (Audiobook) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxaJKSRp8KA |publisher=New York: D. Fanshaw}}</ref>
The sentence may also benefit from being moved away from the rape accusation and fallout. I've put it on a new line to separate it slightly. -->
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By this time, his memoirs had been published in Edinburgh. Inspired by them, [[James Fenimore Cooper]] and [[Alexandre Dumas]] later wrote their own adventure novels: Cooper's 1824 novel ''[[The Pilot: A Tale of the Sea|The Pilot]]'' contains fictionalized accounts of Jones's maritime activities,<ref>{{Cite web |title=James Fenimore Cooper: Sea Tales |url=http://www.loa.org/volume.jsp?RequestID=30 |access-date=2012-11-28 |publisher=The Library of America}}</ref> and Dumas' ''Captain Paul'' is a follow-up novel to ''The Pilot'', published in 1846.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Paul Jones, or, The son of the sea [electronic resource] |url=http://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/9308477 |access-date=2012-11-28 |publisher=Stanford University Libraries}}</ref> According to Walter Herrick:
:Jones was a sailor of indomitable courage, of strong will, and of great ability in his chosen career.... He was also a hypocrite, a brawler, a rake, and a professional and social climber.<ref>Walter R Herrick, jr. "Jones, John Paul " in John A. Garraty, ''Encyclopedia of American Biography'' (1974) pp. 598–599.</ref>▼
▲
Jones was an investor in western lands with [[William Trent]].<ref>Clark, William Bell, et al. "A Forgotten Investment of John Paul Jones." ''The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'', vol. 77, no. 2, 1953, pp. 156–63. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20088455. Accessed 10 Aug. 2023.</ref>▼
▲Jones was an investor in western lands with [[William Trent]].<ref>Clark, William Bell, et al. "A Forgotten Investment of John Paul Jones." ''The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography'', vol. 77, no. 2, 1953, pp. 156–63.
==Death==
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==In popular culture==
* [[James Fenimore Cooper]] wrote a historical novel ''[[The Pilot: A Tale of the Sea]]'', published in 1823,
* In 1923, [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] wrote a screenplay about Jones and sent it to [[Paramount Pictures]] founder [[Adolph Zukor]], who politely rejected it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Recipe for Success, by Jane West Walton|work=The Coronet, February 1947 |url=http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/FDR_Hollywood_biography_Trivia|access-date=2014-12-01}}</ref>
* There is a single Hollywood film about him, ''[[John Paul Jones (film)|John Paul Jones]]'' (1959), which includes a largely fictionalized portrayal of his private life. There is also a single 45-minute documentary about him, produced in 1995.
* [[Johnny Horton]] wrote a sea shanty about John Paul Jones in 1960.
* The Longest Johns also made a song referring to him from the British perspective titled "John Paul Jones Is
* John Paul Jones is referenced in ''Sitka'' by Louis L'Amour, when Jean LaBarge alludes to Jones's service in the Imperial Russian Army.
==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [[Bibliography of early United States naval history|Bibliography of early American naval history]]▼
* [[John Hazelwood|Commodore John Hazelwood]], commander of the [[Continental Navy]] and [[Pennsylvania Navy]] during the [[Philadelphia campaign]]
* [[John Paul Jones Cottage Museum]], birthplace of Jones in Scotland
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==Further reading==
▲
* {{Citation|title=John Paul Jones of Naval Fame: a Character of the Revolution|last=Brown|first=Charles Walter|publisher=M.A. Donohue & Co.|place=Chicago, IL|year=1902|isbn=978-0795024986|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IaBBAAAAYAAJ&q=john+paul+jones}}, 271 pp.
* {{Citation|title=John Paul Jones: America's First Sea Warrior|last=Callo|first=Joseph|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=2011|isbn=978-1612510163|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uX8CbfFntvQC&q=john+paul+jones}}, 289 pp.
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[[Category:Scottish Freemasons]]
[[Category:Scottish mercenaries]]
[[Category:Scottish slave traders]]
[[Category:Scottish admirals]]
[[Category:Mummies]]
[[Category:Members
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