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Jones was born in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, on July 6,
1747. According to the U.S. Navy website, he joined the British merchant marines.
In 1773, when he was a captain on a ship to the West Indies, he killed the
leader of a mutiny who was on his ship. He ran away, trying to escape legal implications,
eventually landing in Virginia.
During the Revolutionary War, Jones joined the Continental Army.
He started as a lieutenant, but was soon promoted to captain. Americans viewed
him as skilled and fearless in his role as captain. He was even dubbed “Father
of the American Navy” by some, sharing this title with Commodore John Barry
from Ireland. The British viewed him as a pirate. He sailed as north as Nova
Scotia and took 25 prizes in 1776.
In 1777, Jones sailed to Paris, France in the Ranger. In
Paris, he found Benjamin Franklin, who approved of his hit-and-run attacks on
enemies in defenseless places and abducting a prominent person in order to
compel the British government to release American seamen in their jails.
In early 1778, he sailed into the Irish Sea and attacked the
port of Whitehaven, Scotland. This attack was one of the worst attacks on a British
seaport since 1667. However, the second raid on St. Mary’s Isle to capture Lord
Selkirk was not successful as Selkirk was away.
Later, Jones served as a rear admiral in the Russian Navy.
However, his career was destroyed after he became involved in a scandal in his
personal life. He spent most of his postwar life in Europe, though he did visit
the United States, where Congress gave him a gold medal for his services in the
Revolutionary War. He was the only naval officer to receive this honor.
Jones died at the age of 45 in 1792 in Paris, France. His
remains were found in 1905 and were brought to Annapolis, Maryland, to be entombed
at the chapel at the Naval Academy. He is considered the first naval hero of
the United States.