- Thomas Truxtun
:"For the ships named after Truxtun, see
USS Truxtun "Thomas Truxtun (or Truxton) (
February 17 ,1755 -May 5 ,1822 ) was an American naval officer who rose to the rank of commodore.Born near Hempstead, New York on
Long Island , Truxtun had little formal education before joining the crew of the British merchant ship "Pitt" at the age of twelve. By the time he was twenty, however, his talents had garnered him the command of his own vessel, the "Andrew Caldwell". He operated as aprivateer during theAmerican Revolutionary War , commanding several ships: "Congress", "Independence", "Mars" and "St. James". Truxtun was highly successful in capturing enemy ships during this period, not once suffering a defeat.After the war he returned to the merchant marine, where he remained for twelve years, and in 1786 commanded one of the first American ships to engage in trade with
China , the "Canton", operating fromPhiladelphia .Truxtun was appointed captain in the
United States Navy in 1794, and during theQuasi-War withFrance was in command of the USS "Constellation". Previously, he had overseen its construction withSilas Talbot , and, after a rank dispute, was placed in charge of the ship by President Washington. He was promoted to commodore and met with considerable success. His victories, perhaps most notably that over the French vessel "L'Insurgente", made Truxtun a hero of the time.During this period, however, Truxtun was involved in a dispute over rank with
Richard Dale . Truxtun took command of the USS "President" for a few months in 1800, soon after retiring from the Navy and locating first inPerth Amboy, New Jersey and later in Philadelphia. He was offered command during theFirst Barbary War in 1801 but refused, settling firmly into retirement.He ran an unsuccessful campaign for the
United States House of Representatives in 1810, and in 1816 was elected sheriff of Philadelphia County, serving a four-year term. He also published several books, well-known at the time, coveringnavigation andnaval tactics . He is buried atChrist Church Burial Ground .Several Navy ships have since been named in his honor (see USS "Truxtun"), as was the town of
Truxton, New York .Washington, D.C. once had a traffic circle, Truxton Circle, named after him; although the circle has been demolished, the nearby neighborhood retains his name. Truxton Park in the City ofAnnapolis, Maryland is named in his honor as well.Publications
* Barnes, "Naval Actions of the War of 1812" (New York, 1896)
* Toll, Ian W., "Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy" (W. W. Norton, New York, October 2, 2006). Truxtun is prominently portrayed in this volume. [http://iantoll.com]External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/library/anh/found1a.htm Excerpt from Truxtun's signal book]
* [http://www.cortlandbusiness.com/county/profiles/truxton.html The Town of Truxton]
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