David Porter (February 1, 1780 – March 3, 1843) was an American naval officer and diplomat. Porter commanded a number of U.S. naval ships. He saw service in the

First Barbary War The First Barbary War (1801–1805), also known as the Tripolitan War and the Barbary Coast War, was a conflict during the 1801–1815 Barbary Wars, in which the United States fought against Ottoman Tripolitania. Tripolitania had declared war ...

, the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

and in the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. On July 2, 1812, Porter hoisted the banner "Free trade and sailors' rights" as captain of .Gilje, Paul A.
Free Trade and Sailors' Rights in the War of 1812
', Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2013, , p. 1. 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.

Early life

Born in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, Porter served in the Quasi-War with France first as

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

aboard , participating in the capture of '' L'Insurgente'' on February 9, 1799; then as 1st lieutenant of ; and finally in command of USS ''Amphitheatre''. During the

(1801–07), Porter was first lieutenant of , , and and was taken prisoner when the latter ran aground in Tripoli harbor on October 31, 1803. After his release on June 3, 1805, he remained in the Mediterranean as acting captain of and later captain of ''Enterprise''.

Early military career

Porter married Evalina Anderson, and they had ten children who survived, including six sons. One of these, David Dixon Porter, became an admiral in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. Porter purchased the grand home built by the judge and politician David Lloyd in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as the Delaware Valley) on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. ...

. He made many additions, and the home became known as the Porter House. It was destroyed by explosion in 1882. Porter's father, David Porter Sr., met and befriended another naval veteran of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, George Farragut, from the Balearic island of Minorca. In late spring 1808, David Sr. suffered sunstroke, and Farragut took him into his home, where his wife Elizabeth cared for him. Already weakened by

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, he died on June 22, 1808. Elizabeth Farragut died of yellow fever the same day. Motherless, the Farragut children were to be placed with friends and relatives. While visiting Farragut and his family a short time later to express thanks for their care of his father and sympathy for their loss, Commodore Porter offered to take eight-year-old James Glasgow Farragut into his own household. Young James readily agreed. In 1809 he moved with Porter to Washington, where he met Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton and expressed his wish for a midshipman's appointment. Hamilton promised that the appointment would be made as soon as he reached the age of ten; as it happened, the commission came through on December 17, 1810, six months before the boy reached his tenth birthday. When James went to sea soon after with his adoptive father, he changed his name from James to David, and it is as David Glasgow Farragut that he is remembered.

Quasi-War

Porter served in the Quasi-War with France. He was appointed a midshipman on 16 April 1798. Assigned to under the command of John Rodgers, he saw action in the battle against ''L'Insurgente'', notably saving the mast by cutting away slings after it was damaged. He was then selected as one of twelve men assigned to take possession of ''L'Insurgente'' after the Americans captured her. He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 8 October 1799. As lieutenant he served as second in command of the

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

during the action of 1 January 1800, in which he got shot in his arm.

First Barbary War

April, 1802 he was stationed on . He was promoted to master commandant on 22 April 1806 and was in charge of the naval forces at

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

from 1808 to 1810.

War of 1812

With the outbreak of the

, Porter was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on July 2, 1812, and was assigned as commander of . He sailed out of New York harbor with the banner, "Free trade and sailors' rights" flying from the foretopgallant mast. On August 13, 1812, Porter captured the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

sloop as well as several British merchantmen. In February 1813 he sailed ''Essex'' around

Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...

and cruised the Pacific, attacking British whalers. Porter's first action in the Pacific was the capture of the Peruvian merchantman ''Nereyda'', releasing the captive American whalers on board. Over the next year, Porter captured 12 British whalers and 360 sailors. In June 1813, Porter released his prisoners, on the condition that they not fight against the United States until they were formally exchanged for American prisoners of war. Porter's usual tactic was to raise British colors to allay the whaler's suspicions, then once invited on board, he would reveal his true allegiance and purpose. Porter and his fleet spent October–December 1813 resting and regrouping in the Marquesas Islands, which he claimed in the name of the United States and renamed them the Madison Islands, in honor of President

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

. On March 28, 1814, Porter encountered British frigate and the

sloop-of-war During the 18th and 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship of the Royal Navy with a single gun deck that carried up to 18 guns. The rating system of the Royal Navy covered all vessels with 20 or more guns; thus, the term encompassed all u ...

and the battle of Valparaiso ensued. He surrendered to British Captain James Hillyar after his ship became too disabled to offer any resistance.

West Indies

In 1814 he was given command of , the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

of a five ship squadron destined for the

to disrupt British shipping; however, the Treaty of Ghent was signed with Britain, ending the war, and the mission was canceled. From 1815 to 1822, he was a member of the

Board of Navy Commissioners The Board of Navy Commissioners was a United States Navy administrative body in existence from 1815 to 1842, with responsibility for the navy's material support. The three-member Board was created as part of an expansion of the U.S. Navy Departm ...

but gave up this post to command the expedition for suppressing piracy in the West Indies (1823–25). While in the West Indies suppressing

piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

, Porter invaded the town of Fajardo, Puerto Rico (a Spanish colony) to avenge the jailing of an officer from his fleet. The U.S. government did not sanction Porter's act, and he was

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

ed upon his return to the U.S. Porter resigned from the U.S. Navy on August 18, 1826, and, shortly after, was appointed as commander-in-chief of the Mexican Navy. He held this position from 1826 to 1829.

Later life and death

He left the Mexican navy in 1829 and was appointed United States Minister to the Barbary States. He was appointed as

Chargé d'Affaires A (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador. The term is Frenc ...

to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

by President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

in 1831 and was promoted to Minister Resident in 1840. He died on March 3, 1843, in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

while serving as United States Minister Resident to the Ottoman Empire. He was buried in the cemetery of the Philadelphia Naval Asylum, and then in 1845 reburied in the Woodlands Cemetery in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Dates of rank

*Midshipman - April 16, 1798 *Lieutenant - October 8, 1799 *Master Commandant - April 22, 1806 *Captain - July 2, 1812 *Resigned - August 18, 1826

In popular culture

*Porter is played by Jeff Chandler in the film '' Yankee Buccaneer'' (1952).

Legacy

*Several U.S. Navy ships have been named after him. *The town of Porter and Porter County in

Northwest Indiana Northwest Indiana, nicknamed "The Region" after the Calumet Region, is an unofficial region of Northern Indiana, northern Indiana, United States that is located at the northwestern corner of the state. Though there is no official definition of th ...

are named after David Porter. In 1836 the county seat of Porter County, Indiana was originally named Portersville, also named for David Porter. It was changed to Valparaiso in 1837, named for Porter's participation in the naval action near Valparaíso, Chile during the War of 1812.Baker, Ronald L.; Marvin Carmony (1995). ''Indiana Place Names''. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p. 170.

References

External links

Images and biography from Naval History & Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.''Journal of a Cruise Made to the Pacific Ocean''
by David Porter, 1822
''A Voyage in the South Seas, in the Years 1812, 1813, and 1814''
by David Porter, 1823
Chiefs of Mission for Turkey
at the

Office of the Historian The Office of the Historian is an office of the United States Department of State within the Foreign Service Institute. It is legally responsible for the preparation and publication of the official historical documentary record of U.S. foreign p ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, David 1780 births 1843 deaths People involved in anti-piracy efforts United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 Porter family Military personnel from Boston American military personnel of the Quasi-War American military personnel of the First Barbary War Ambassadors of the United States to the Ottoman Empire Mexican Navy personnel Burials at The Woodlands Cemetery United States Navy commodores 19th-century American diplomats War of 1812 prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom