Commodore Jacob Nicholas Jones (March 1768 – August 3, 1850) was an officer 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 ...

during the Quasi-War with

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the First Barbary War, the Second Barbary War, and the War of 1812.

Biography

Jones' birthplace was on a farm about one mile northwest of the town of

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

Delaware Colony The Delaware Colony, officially known as the three Lower Counties on the Delaware, was a semiautonomous region of the proprietary Province of Pennsylvania and a '' de facto'' British colony in North America. Although not royally sanctioned, ...

. His father was a farmer of exemplary moral and religious character and his mother was of a family greatly respected. She died when he was an infant. His father soon followed her to the grave and at four years of age he was an orphan. It is not clear how he became a doctor. Educated in medicine and practicing as a doctor, he was later appointed as Clerk of the Delaware Supreme Court. He was married to Anna Matilda Sykes, daughter of James Sykes the 15th Governor of Delaware; she died before he joined the

Midshipman

Jones joined the

in 1799 at the age of 31, very old for the times, when a midshipman could be as young as 10. Some think he joined the Navy because of grief after the death of his wife. He spent 22 months as an acting midshipman.

Lieutenant

During the Quasi-War with France, he served under Commodore John Barry in the frigate and was commissioned a lieutenant February 27, 1801. First Barbary War:Jones was serving on USS Constellation in October, 1802 when he was arrested for aiding and abetting the murder of Marine Capt. James McKnight by Navy Lt. Richard H. L. Lawson in a duel on 14 October at Leghorn. Jones joined the crew of on May 24, 1803, as second lieutenant (2nd mate). On October 31, 1803, he was taken prisoner with the rest of ''Philadelphia''s crew by the Bey of Tripoli and held until liberated in June 1805.

Master Commandant

On April 20, 1810, Jones received promotion to master commandant, and on June 4, he took command of . In October 1812, Jones and ''Wasp'' sailed on an Atlantic cruise. On October 13 he captured the British 12-gun

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...

HMS ''Dolphin''. Despite storm damage to his ship, he attacked a British convoy on October 18 and, following an intense battle, 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 of war , in a fierce engagement. Both ships were seriously damaged and were captured by the 74-gun ship of the line . Still, Jones was widely admired among Americans and when he returned to the United States after an exchange of prisoners, he received a gold medal from the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

Captain

Jones was promoted to the rank of captain in March 1813 and given command of the frigate . He spent time in Decatur's squadron, which was bottled up at New London during 1814. Later, Captain Jones was sent to the

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

theater, where he commanded the frigate during the last year of the war. During the second and final Barbary War, in 1815, Jones again commanded ''Macedonian''. Service as captain of the frigate followed in 1816–1818.

Commodore

Jones was Commodore of the United States' squadrons in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

in 1821–1823 and in the Pacific in 1826–1829. He was a Navy Commissioner in Washington, DC, between those tours at sea and held important commands ashore at

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

and New York during the 1830s and 1840s. He received his final assignment, as commandant of the Philadelphia Naval Asylum in 1847. Commodore Jacob Jones held that position until his death.

Death and legacy

Jones died on August 3, 1850, and is interred at the Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery in Wilmington, Delaware. Three ships, USS ''Jacob Jones'', have been named for him. Jones Island of Washington state is also named for Jones.

References

External links

NHC Biography and Photographs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Jacob 1768 births 1850 deaths American military personnel of the First Barbary War Burials at Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery People from Smyrna, Delaware American military personnel of the Quasi-War United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 Congressional Gold Medal recipients American military personnel of the Second Barbary War Commanders of the USS Constitution War of 1812 prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom Military personnel from Delaware