Commodore David Porter, USN

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Porter_(naval_officer)

David Porter (February 1, 1780 – March 3, 1843) was an officer in the United States Navy in a rank of commodore and later the commander-in-chief of the Mexican Navy.

Life

Born at Boston, Mass., Porter served in the Quasi-War with France first as midshipman on board USS Constellation, participating in the capture of L’Insurgente February 9, 1799; secondly, as 1st lieutenant of Experiment and later in command of USS Amphitheatre. During the Barbary Wars (1801–07) Porter was 1st lieutenant of Enterprise, New York and Philadelphia and was taken prisoner when Philadelphia ran aground in Tripoli harbor October 31, 1803. After his release on June 3, 1805, he remained in the Mediterranean as acting captain of Constitution and later captain of Enterprise.

He was in charge of the naval forces at New Orleans 1808–10. As commander of USS Essex (1799) in the War of 1812, Captain Porter achieved fame by capturing the first British warship of the conflict, HMS Alert, August 13, 1812 as well as several merchantmen. In 1813 he sailed Essex around Cape Horn and cruised in the Pacific warring on British whalers. On March 28, 1814 Porter was forced to surrender to Captain James Hillyar off Valparaiso after an engagement with the frigate HMS Phoebe and the sloop Cherub, when his ship became too disabled to offer any resistance.

From 1815 to 1822, he was a member of the Board of Navy Commissioners 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, Porter invaded the town of Fajardo, Puerto Rico (a Spanish colony) to avenge the jailing of an officer from his fleet. The American government did not sanction Porter's act, and he was court-martialed upon his return to the U.S. Porter resigned and in 1826 entered the Mexican Navy as its commander-in-chief 1826–29. He left the Mexican service in 1829 and was appointed United States Minister to the Barbary States. He died on March 3, 1843 while serving as United States Ambassador to Turkey. He was buried in the cemetery of the Philadelphia Naval Asylum, and then in 1845 reburied in the Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Portersville was named after him, and henceafterwards renamed "Valparaiso" after Valparaíso, Chile, where he fought during the War of 1812.

Marriage and family

Porter married Evalina Anderson, and they had 10 children who survived, including six sons.

The older David Porter Sr. met and befriended another naval veteran of the Revolution, George Farragut, from Spanish Minorca. In late spring 1808, David Porter Sr. suffered sunstroke, and Farragut took him into his home, where his wife Elizabeth cared for him. Already weakened by tuberculosis, 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.

The town of Porter and Porter County in Northwest Indiana 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 Valparaiso, Chile during the War of 1812.

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Adopted David Farragut (USN) after the death of his mother.

David's birth name was James. After his mother's death, he agreed to living with and being adopted in 1808 by David Porter, a naval officer whose father had been friends with his father. In 1812 James adopted the name David in honor of his adoptive father, with whom he went to sea late in 1810. David Farragut grew up in a naval family, as the adoptive brother of future Civil War admiral David Dixon Porter and commodore William D. Porter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Farragut

After the war, Farragut married the Irish-American Elizabeth Shine (1765-1808) from North Carolina. They moved west to Tennessee, where their son David Farragut (born James Glasgow Farragut) was born in 1801. They had several children.

Later they moved to New Orleans, where they were living in 1808. There Farragut met David Porter Sr., another naval officer who had served in the Revolution and was living with his son, also David Porter, on active duty with the Navy as an officer. The senior Porter came to their house one day suffering from sunstroke, and, despite Elizabeth's care, he died. The same day, Elizabeth died of yellow fever. George, age 53, made plans to place his young children with friends and family who could better care for them.

He was visited by the younger Porter, who thanked him for his wife's care of his father and expressed sympathy for his loss. Porter offered to adopt James and introduce him to a career in the Navy. James and his father agreed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Farragut

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Porter_%28naval_officer%29

David Porter (February 1, 1780 – March 3, 1843) was an officer in the United States Navy in a rank of commodore. Porter commanded a number of US naval ships, including the famous USS Constitution. He saw service in the War of 1812, he Second Barbary War of 1815 and in the West Indies. He was later court martialed where he resigned and joined and became commander-in-chief of the Mexican Navy.

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US and Mexican Naval Officer. He served in the US Navy from 1798 until 1825 and in the Mexican Navy from 1826 until 1829. His first tour, after enlisting, was as a midshipman on board the frigate USS Constellation in which he participated in the capture of the French ship L'Insurgente during the Quasi-War (or Undeclared War) with France in 1799. He then served at the rank of 1st lieutenant of on board the schooner USS Experiment and later in command of USS Amphitheatre. During the First Barbary War (1801 to 1807) he was a 1st lieutenant of the schooner USS Enterprise, the frigate USS New York, and frigate USS Philadelphia, and was taken prisoner when USS Philadelphia ran aground in Tripoli harbor on October 31, 1803. After his release in June 1805, he remained in the Mediterranean as acting captain of the USS Constitution and later captain of the USS Enterprise. He befriended fellow naval officer and Revolutionary War veteran George Farragut, and when he became ill in the Spring of 1808, Farragut took him into his home and his wife cared for him. After Farragut and his wife died two months later, he offered to take the Farragut's eight-year-old son, James Glasgow Farragut into his home at Washington DC in 1809. From 1808 until 1810 he was in charge of the US Naval forces at New Orleans, Louisiana. During the War of 1812 he commanded the frigate USS Essex and captured the first British warship of the conflict, the HMS Alert. In February 1813 he sailed the USS Essex around Cape Horn in South America and cruised the Pacific Ocean warring on British whalers. Over the next year, he captured 12 whale ships and 360 prisoners. On March 1814 her was forced to surrender off Valparaíso, Chile after an engagement which became known as the Battle of Valparaiso with the British frigate HMS Phoebe and the sloop HMS Cherub, when his ship became too disabled to offer any resistance. He then returned to the US and in 1814 he was given command of the brig USS Firefly, the flagship of a five ship squadron destined for the West Indies to disrupt British shipping, but the Treaty of Ghent was signed with Britain and the mission was canceled. From 1815 to 1822, he was a member of the Board of Navy Commissioners but gave up this post to command the expedition for suppressing piracy in the West Indies and while there, he invaded the town of Fajardo, Puerto Rico (a Spanish colony) to avenge the jailing of an officer from his fleet. The US government did not sanction his act of aggression and he was court-martialed upon his return to the US. He then resigned from the US Navy and in 1826 entered the Mexican Navy as its Commander-in-Chief. In 1829 he left the Mexican Navy and accepted a post as US Minister to the Barbary States. He then became the US ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in Turkey and died there at the age of 63. He was the father of Mexican War and Civil War veteran Admiral David Dixon Porter. He was played by actor Jeff Chandler in the film "Yankee Buccaneer" (1952). There were several US Navy ships that were named in his honor and that of his son. (bio by: William Bjornstad)

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=4291

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Naval Officer. He achieved the rank of captain and the honorary title of commodore. He commanded a number of US naval ships including the USS Constitution. He served in the First Barbary War, the War of 1812 and in the West Indies. As a young boy, he went on sea voyages with his father who had been an American Revolutionary War naval commander. He became a midshipman in 1798, was promoted to lieutenant in 1799, and took part in the undeclared war against France in 1799 and the war with Tripoli from 1801 to 1805. He was promoted to captain in 1812 and gained a reputation as commander of the USS Essex over the next two years. His was the first US warship to become active in Pacific waters. On July 2, 1812, he hoisted the banner "Free trade and sailors' rights" as captain of USS Essex. He captured a large number of British whaling vessels and took possession of the largest of the Marquesas Islands in November 1813. In February 1814, he was blockaded by British frigates in the harbor of Valparaiso, Chile, and was defeated at the end of March. He went on to serve on the new Board of Naval Commissioners from 1815 to 1823. He commanded a squadron sent to the West Indies to suppress piracy. One of his officers landed in Puerto Rico and was imprisoned by the Spanish authorities, and Porter sent in an armed force demanding an apology. For this unauthorized action, he was recalled, court-martialed, and suspended from duty. Resigning his commission, he accepted appointment as commander in chief of the Mexican navy from 1826 to 1829, then fighting Spain. Upon returning to the United States, he was sent to Algiers as US consul general in 1830, and then to Constantinople in 1831 where he became minister in 1841. He died on March 3, 1843 in Ankara, Turkey 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, Pennsylvania. Several U.S. Navy ships have been named USS Porter after him.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jul 28 2019, 21:31:27 UTC

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Naval Officer. He achieved the rank of captain and the honorary title of commodore. He commanded a number of US naval ships including the USS Constitution. He served in the First Barbary War, the War of 1812 and in the West Indies. As a young boy, he went on sea voyages with his father who had been an American Revolutionary War naval commander. He became a midshipman in 1798, was promoted to lieutenant in 1799, and took part in the undeclared war against France in 1799 and the war with Tripoli from 1801 to 1805. He was promoted to captain in 1812 and gained a reputation as commander of the USS Essex over the next two years. His was the first US warship to become active in Pacific waters. On July 2, 1812, he hoisted the banner "Free trade and sailors' rights" as captain of USS Essex. He captured a large number of British whaling vessels and took possession of the largest of the Marquesas Islands in November 1813. In February 1814, he was blockaded by British frigates in the harbor of Valparaiso, Chile, and was defeated at the end of March. He went on to serve on the new Board of Naval Commissioners from 1815 to 1823. He commanded a squadron sent to the West Indies to suppress piracy. One of his officers landed in Puerto Rico and was imprisoned by the Spanish authorities, and Porter sent in an armed force demanding an apology. For this unauthorized action, he was recalled, court-martialed, and suspended from duty. Resigning his commission, he accepted appointment as commander in chief of the Mexican navy from 1826 to 1829, then fighting Spain. Upon returning to the United States, he was sent to Algiers as US consul general in 1830, and then to Constantinople in 1831 where he became minister in 1841. He died on March 3, 1843 in Constantinople, known today as Istanbul, Turkey 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, Pennsylvania. Several U.S. Navy ships have been named USS Porter after him.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Nov 4 2022, 15:45:41 UTC