Lawrence Kearny
Encyclopedia
Commodore Lawrence Kearny (30 November 1789 – 29 November 1868) was an officer in the United States Navy
during the early nineteenth century. In the early 1840s he began negotiations with China
which opened that country to U.S. trade and pointed the way toward the American Open Door Policy
a half century later. He was Mayor of Perth Amboy, New Jersey
in 1848.
, Kearny was appointed Midshipman
in the Navy 24 July 1807. Commodore Kearny was known for his tenacity in capturing slave traders in West-Indian waters and his efforts in fighting Greek
pirates in the Mediterranean Sea
. In 1818, he commanded USS Enterprise
of the New Orleans Squadron
when he sailed to Galveston, Texas and forced Jean Lafitte
to abandon his base without a fight.
and the sloop Boston
. Kearny's March 1842 arrival in China reflects the speed of early 19th century communications. Kearny's orders—to 1) protect the interests of the United States and her citizens along the coast of China, 2) to respect the foreign and domestic policies of the Chinese, and 3) prevent and punish opium smuggling into China by Americans or under the cover of the American flag—similarly reflect the broad discretion given to naval officers who would have to wait months for official response from higher authority.
The Opium War had ended, but letters from American merchants began arriving aboard as soon as Constellation anchored in Macau
. The letters requested protection from the Chinese and demanded reparations for damages. Kearny first issued a ban against American smuggling and then reviewed the reparations claims. Kearny considered some claims valid and others gross overstatements. Viceroy
Ke in Guangzhou
wrote to the United States Vice Consul: "...I have heard that the newly arrived Commodore manages affairs with clear understanding, profound wisdom, and great justice." Ke committed China to abide by Kearny's decisions regarding adjudication of claims, and several hundred thousand dollars were paid to American merchants.
Kearny first learned of the Treaty of Nanking
when he arrived in Hong Kong
. Kearny observed the treaty's provisions opening five Chinese ports to British trade, and sought equal trading opportunity for Americans. Ke offered Kearny a treaty giving Americans fair treatment. Kearny did not have authority to sign such a treaty, but tactfully informed Ke agreement would be forthcoming as soon as authorized negotiators arrived. Caleb Cushing
reached China in 1844, and the Treaty of Wanghia
was signed on 2 July.
on his return voyage in July 1843. He discovered King Kamehameha III
had ceded the islands to Great Britain
under threat of naval bombardment by Lord George Paulet. He received letters of protests from American residents of Honolulu.
Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones
arrived a short time later on the .
Kearny's orders were 3 years old at that point, and English disavowal of Paulet's actions was unknown to either side in Hawaii. Kearny issued a stiff, formal protest against the seizure and refused to recognize its validity until Hawaiian and English representatives settled the matter with United States representatives. England's senior officer in the Pacific, Rear Admiral Thomas
, arrived two weeks later with the news Hawaiian sovereignty had been restored.
was named for him.
Kearny Cottage
was Kearny's life long residence.
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...
during the early nineteenth century. In the early 1840s he began negotiations with China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
which opened that country to U.S. trade and pointed the way toward the American Open Door Policy
Open Door Policy
The Open Door Policy is a concept in foreign affairs, which usually refers to the policy in 1899 allowing multiple Imperial powers access to China, with none of them in control of that country. As a theory, the Open Door Policy originates with British commercial practice, as was reflected in...
a half century later. He was Mayor of Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Mayor of Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Mayor of Perth Amboy, New Jersey:*Wilda Diaz 2008 to present*Joseph Vas 2007 to 2008.*George John Otlowski 1976 to 1990.*James J. Flynn, Jr. 1950-1970.*Edward James Patten 1934 to 1940.*William C. Wilson 1921-1926.*U. B. Watson 1881....
in 1848.
Early life
Born in Perth Amboy, New JerseyPerth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The City of Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 50,814. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", referring to Raritan Bay.-Name:The Lenape...
, Kearny was appointed Midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
in the Navy 24 July 1807. Commodore Kearny was known for his tenacity in capturing slave traders in West-Indian waters and his efforts in fighting Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
pirates in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. In 1818, he commanded USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise (1799)
The third USS Enterprise, a schooner, was built by Henry Spencer at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1799, and placed under the command of Lieutenant John Shaw...
of the New Orleans Squadron
New Orleans Squadron
The New Orleans Squadron or the New Orleans Station was a United States Navy squadron raised out of the growing threat the United Kingdom posed to Louisiana during the War of 1812. The first squadron consisted of over a dozen vessels and was mostly defeated during the war...
when he sailed to Galveston, Texas and forced Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte was a pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his elder brother, Pierre, spelled their last name Laffite, but English-language documents of the time used "Lafitte", and this is the commonly seen spelling in the United States, including for places...
to abandon his base without a fight.
China
Some Americans in China suffered during the first Opium War of 1839 as Chinese indignant about British opium traders failed to distinguish between English-speaking people of European ancestry. Commodore Kearny was given command of a squadron consisting of the 42-year old frigate ConstellationUSS Constellation (1797)
USS Constellation was a 38-gun frigate, one of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794. She was distinguished as the first U.S. Navy vessel to put to sea and the first U.S. Navy vessel to engage and defeat an enemy vessel...
and the sloop Boston
USS Boston (1825)
The fourth USS Boston was an 18-gun sloop of war, launched on 15 October 1825 by the Boston Navy Yard and commissioned the following year, Master Commandant Beekman V. Hoffman in command....
. Kearny's March 1842 arrival in China reflects the speed of early 19th century communications. Kearny's orders—to 1) protect the interests of the United States and her citizens along the coast of China, 2) to respect the foreign and domestic policies of the Chinese, and 3) prevent and punish opium smuggling into China by Americans or under the cover of the American flag—similarly reflect the broad discretion given to naval officers who would have to wait months for official response from higher authority.
The Opium War had ended, but letters from American merchants began arriving aboard as soon as Constellation anchored in Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
. The letters requested protection from the Chinese and demanded reparations for damages. Kearny first issued a ban against American smuggling and then reviewed the reparations claims. Kearny considered some claims valid and others gross overstatements. Viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
Ke in Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
wrote to the United States Vice Consul: "...I have heard that the newly arrived Commodore manages affairs with clear understanding, profound wisdom, and great justice." Ke committed China to abide by Kearny's decisions regarding adjudication of claims, and several hundred thousand dollars were paid to American merchants.
Kearny first learned of the Treaty of Nanking
Treaty of Nanking
The Treaty of Nanking was signed on 29 August 1842 to mark the end of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Qing Dynasty of China...
when he arrived in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. Kearny observed the treaty's provisions opening five Chinese ports to British trade, and sought equal trading opportunity for Americans. Ke offered Kearny a treaty giving Americans fair treatment. Kearny did not have authority to sign such a treaty, but tactfully informed Ke agreement would be forthcoming as soon as authorized negotiators arrived. Caleb Cushing
Caleb Cushing
Caleb Cushing was an American diplomat who served as a U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts and Attorney General under President Franklin Pierce.-Early life:...
reached China in 1844, and the Treaty of Wanghia
Treaty of Wanghia
The Treaty of Wanghia , is a diplomatic agreement between the Qing Dynasty of China and the United States, signed on 3 July 1844 in the Kun Iam Temple...
was signed on 2 July.
Hawaii
Kearny visited the Hawaiian IslandsHawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
on his return voyage in July 1843. He discovered King Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III was the King of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name was Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa Kalani Waiakua Kalanikau Iokikilo Kiwalao i ke kapu Kamehameha when he ascended the throne.Under his...
had ceded the islands to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
under threat of naval bombardment by Lord George Paulet. He received letters of protests from American residents of Honolulu.
Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones
Thomas ap Catesby Jones
Thomas ap Catesby Jones was a U.S. Navy officer during the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War.-Early life:Jones was born in 1790 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Thomas ap Catesby Jones means Thomas, son of Catesby Jones in the Welsh language. His brother was Roger Jones, who would become...
arrived a short time later on the .
Kearny's orders were 3 years old at that point, and English disavowal of Paulet's actions was unknown to either side in Hawaii. Kearny issued a stiff, formal protest against the seizure and refused to recognize its validity until Hawaiian and English representatives settled the matter with United States representatives. England's senior officer in the Pacific, Rear Admiral Thomas
Richard Darton Thomas
Admiral Richard Darton Thomas was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station.-Naval career:...
, arrived two weeks later with the news Hawaiian sovereignty had been restored.
Later career
Commodore Kearny later served as Commandant at the Norfolk and New York Naval Shipyards. He retired 14 November 1861, and died at Perth Amboy, New Jersey, 29 November 1868.Namesake
USS Kearny (DD-432)USS Kearny (DD-432)
USS Kearny , a Gleaves-class destroyer, was a United States Navy ship named for Commodore Lawrence Kearny, who was known for his tenacity in capturing slave traders in West-Indian waters and his tireless efforts in fighting Greek pirates in the Mediterranean.-Early history:Kearny was launched 9...
was named for him.
Kearny Cottage
Kearny Cottage
The Kearny Cottage is a historic home in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.Built in 1781, it was originally located on High Street but was moved to Sadowski Parkway when the last Kearny descendent died in the 1920s. The building was later moved again to where it now stands at 63 Catalpa Avenue, just inland...
was Kearny's life long residence.