a Scottish American sailor and the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made both friends and enemies among America's political elites, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to this day. As such, he is sometimes referred to as the "Fath...

a Scottish American sailor and the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made both friends and enemies among America's political elites, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to this day. As such, he is sometimes referred to as the "Father of the United States Navy" (an epithet he shares with John Barry). He later served in the Imperial Russian Navy, subsequently obtaining the rank of rear admiral.