Benjamin Stoddert
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Stoddert was the first United States Secretary of the Navy
from May 1, 1798 to March 31, 1801.
, in 1751, the son of Captain Thomas Stoddert. He was educated at the University of Pennsylvania
, and then worked as a merchant. He served as a captain in the Pennsylvania
cavalry and later as secretary to the Continental Board of War during the American Revolutionary War
. During the war, he was severely injured in the Battle of Brandywine
and was subsequently released from active military service. In 1781, he married Rebecca Lowndes, daughter of Christopher Lowndes
, a Maryland
merchant, and they had eight children. They resided at the home of his father-in-law, Bostwick
, located at Bladensburg, Maryland
.
In 1783, Forest established a tobacco
export business in Georgetown
, with business partners Uriah Forrest
and John Murdock.
After George Washington
was elected President
, he asked Stoddert to purchase key parcels of land in the area that would become the nation's capital, before the formal decision to establish the federal city on the banks of the Potomac
drove up prices there. Stoddert then transferred the parcels to the government. During the 1790s, he also helped found the Bank of Columbia to handle purchases of land in the District of Columbia for the federal government.
appointed Stoddert, a loyal Federalist, to oversee the newly established Department of the Navy
. As the first Secretary of the Navy, Stoddert soon found himself dealing with an undeclared naval war with France
, which would come to be known as the Quasi-War
. Stoddert realized that the infant Navy possessed too few warships to protect a far-flung merchant marine by using convoys or by patrolling the North America
n coast. Rather, he concluded that the best way to defeat the French campaign against American shipping was by offensive operations in the Caribbean
, where most of the French cruisers were based. Thus at the very outset of the conflict, the Department of the Navy adopted a policy of going to the source of the enemy's strength. American successes during the conflict resulted from a combination of Stoddert's administrative skill in deploying his limited forces and the initiative of his seagoing officers. Under Stoddert's leadership, the reestablished United States Navy
acquitted itself well and achieved its goal of stopping the depredations of French ships against American commerce.
Stoddert concerned himself not only with the Navy's daily administration and operations, but also with the service's future strength. He established the first six navy yards and advocated building twelve frigates. Congress
initially approved construction of six frigates in the Naval Act of 1794
, but following the peace accord with France, changed its mind, ceasing production after the construction of three frigates and reducing the officer corps. Stoddert left a legacy of able administration and successful war fighting. Despite subsequent shifting political sentiments, the American people would ever after depend on the Navy to defend their commerce and assert their rights on the high seas.
Stoddert established the Navy Department Library as a result of instructions received from President Adams in a letter dated 31 March 1800.
brought American overseas trade to a halt. During this period he lived at Halcyon House
, on the corner at 3400 Prospect Street NW.
Benjamin Stoddert died on December 13, 1813, and is buried in the graveyard at Addison Chapel
, Seat Pleasant, Maryland
.
In the Georgetown
section of Washington, DC, there was a Stoddert Street named after Benjamin Stoddert.http://books.google.com/books?id=3scgAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA372&dq=%22stoddert+street%22+georgetown+history&ei=7xLaRr62O4jm6wL826DvBQ&ie=ISO-8859-1. In the Georgetown street renaming
of 1895 the name was changed to Q Street NW. An apartment building that today stands at 2900 Q Street NW is named The Stoddert.38.910354°N 77.058481°W
United States Secretary of the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...
from May 1, 1798 to March 31, 1801.
Early life
Stoddert was born in Charles County, MarylandCharles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....
, in 1751, the son of Captain Thomas Stoddert. He was educated at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, and then worked as a merchant. He served as a captain in the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
cavalry and later as secretary to the Continental Board of War during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. During the war, he was severely injured in the Battle of Brandywine
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American army of Major General George Washington and the British-Hessian army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The British defeated the Americans and...
and was subsequently released from active military service. In 1781, he married Rebecca Lowndes, daughter of Christopher Lowndes
Christopher Lowndes
Christopher Lowndes was a leading merchant in colonial Bladensburg, Prince George's County, Maryland. He was named Commissioner of the town of Bladensburg in 1745, and in 1753 he was appointed one of the justices of Prince George's County, holding both offices until his death in...
, a Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
merchant, and they had eight children. They resided at the home of his father-in-law, Bostwick
Bostwick (Bladensburg, Maryland)
Bostwick is a historic home located at Bladensburg in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. According to its date plaque, it was built in 1746 by Christopher Lowndes . The house was later the home of Lowndes’ son-in-law, Benjamin Stoddert , first Secretary of the Navy. Colonel Thomas H....
, located at Bladensburg, Maryland
Bladensburg, Maryland
Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 7,661 at the 2000 census.Bladensburg is from central Washington, DC...
.
In 1783, Forest established a tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
export business in Georgetown
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Georgetown is a neighborhood located in northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years...
, with business partners Uriah Forrest
Uriah Forrest
Uriah Forrest was an American statesman and military leader from Maryland. Forrest was born in St. Mary's County in southern Maryland. During the American Revolutionary War, Forrest was injured and lost a leg in the Battle of Germantown...
and John Murdock.
After George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
was elected President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, he asked Stoddert to purchase key parcels of land in the area that would become the nation's capital, before the formal decision to establish the federal city on the banks of the Potomac
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
drove up prices there. Stoddert then transferred the parcels to the government. During the 1790s, he also helped found the Bank of Columbia to handle purchases of land in the District of Columbia for the federal government.
Secretary of the Navy
In May 1798, President John AdamsJohn Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
appointed Stoddert, a loyal Federalist, to oversee the newly established Department of the Navy
United States Department of the Navy
The Department of the Navy of the United States of America was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps, and when directed by the President, of the...
. As the first Secretary of the Navy, Stoddert soon found himself dealing with an undeclared naval war with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, which would come to be known as the Quasi-War
Quasi-War
The Quasi-War was an undeclared war fought mostly at sea between the United States and French Republic from 1798 to 1800. In the United States, the conflict was sometimes also referred to as the Franco-American War, the Pirate Wars, or the Half-War.-Background:The Kingdom of France had been a...
. Stoddert realized that the infant Navy possessed too few warships to protect a far-flung merchant marine by using convoys or by patrolling the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n coast. Rather, he concluded that the best way to defeat the French campaign against American shipping was by offensive operations in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, where most of the French cruisers were based. Thus at the very outset of the conflict, the Department of the Navy adopted a policy of going to the source of the enemy's strength. American successes during the conflict resulted from a combination of Stoddert's administrative skill in deploying his limited forces and the initiative of his seagoing officers. Under Stoddert's leadership, the reestablished United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
acquitted itself well and achieved its goal of stopping the depredations of French ships against American commerce.
Stoddert concerned himself not only with the Navy's daily administration and operations, but also with the service's future strength. He established the first six navy yards and advocated building twelve frigates. Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
initially approved construction of six frigates in the Naval Act of 1794
Naval Act of 1794
The Act to Provide a Naval Armament, also known as the Naval Act, was passed by the United States Congress on March 27, 1794 and established the country's first naval force, which eventually became the United States Navy...
, but following the peace accord with France, changed its mind, ceasing production after the construction of three frigates and reducing the officer corps. Stoddert left a legacy of able administration and successful war fighting. Despite subsequent shifting political sentiments, the American people would ever after depend on the Navy to defend their commerce and assert their rights on the high seas.
Stoddert established the Navy Department Library as a result of instructions received from President Adams in a letter dated 31 March 1800.
Post-Navy life
He left office in March 1801 to return to commercial life. Following his term as Secretary of the Navy, Stoddert's final years witnessed a decline in his fortunes: as Stoddert lost heavily in land speculation, Georgetown declined as a commercial center, and the Embargo and the War of 1812War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
brought American overseas trade to a halt. During this period he lived at Halcyon House
Halcyon House
Halcyon House is a Federal-style home in Washington, D.C. Located in the heart of Georgetown, the house was built beginning in 1787 by the first Secretary of the Navy, Benjamin Stoddert...
, on the corner at 3400 Prospect Street NW.
Benjamin Stoddert died on December 13, 1813, and is buried in the graveyard at Addison Chapel
St. Matthew's Church (Seat Pleasant, Maryland)
St. Matthew's Church, also known as Addison Chapel, is a historic Episcopal church located at Seat Pleasant, Prince George's County, Maryland. Although the current chapel was built about 1809, its simple Anglican styling reflects the Colonial-era, Church of England-influenced designs, of which few...
, Seat Pleasant, Maryland
Seat Pleasant, Maryland
Seat Pleasant is an incorporated city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States immediately east of Washington D.C. The population was 4,885 at the 2000 census. Two state highways run through it — Maryland Route 704 and Maryland Route 214...
.
Things named for Benjamin Stoddert
- Two NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
ships: USS Stoddert (DD-302)USS Stoddert (DD-302)USS Stoddert was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I. It was named for Benjamin Stoddert.-History:...
, 1920–1935, and USS Benjamin Stoddert (DDG-22)USS Benjamin Stoddert (DDG-22)USS Benjamin Stoddert , named for Benjamin Stoddert , Secretary of the Navy from 1798 to 1801, was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile armed destroyer in the United States Navy....
, 1964–1991 - Fort StoddertFort StoddertFort Stoddert was a stockade fort in the Mississippi Territory, in what is today Alabama. It was located on a bluff of the Mobile River, near modern Mount Vernon, close to the confluence of the Tombigbee and Alabama Rivers. It served as the western terminus of the Federal Road which ran through...
in the Mississippi TerritoryMississippi TerritoryThe Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Mississippi....
(today AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
) - Benjamin Stoddert Middle School in Waldorf, MarylandWaldorf, MarylandWaldorf, Maryland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is south-southeast of Washington, D.C. The population of the census-designated area only was 67,752 at the 2010 census...
- Benjamin Stoddert Middle School in Temple Hills, MarylandTemple Hills, MarylandTemple Hills is a suburb of Washington DC, southeast of the downtown district. It is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The greater Temple Hills mailing address includes not just the tiny red area on this map, but also the area...
- Benjamin Stoddert Elementary School in Washington D.C.
In the Georgetown
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Georgetown is a neighborhood located in northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years...
section of Washington, DC, there was a Stoddert Street named after Benjamin Stoddert.http://books.google.com/books?id=3scgAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA372&dq=%22stoddert+street%22+georgetown+history&ei=7xLaRr62O4jm6wL826DvBQ&ie=ISO-8859-1. In the Georgetown street renaming
Georgetown street renaming
The Georgetown street renaming occurred as a result of an 1895 act of the United States Congress that ended even the nominal independence of Georgetown from Washington, D.C. The Act required, inter alia, that the street names in Georgetown be changed to conform to the street naming system in use...
of 1895 the name was changed to Q Street NW. An apartment building that today stands at 2900 Q Street NW is named The Stoddert.38.910354°N 77.058481°W