Biddle, James

Biddle, James
born Feb. 18, 1783, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.
died Oct. 1, 1848, Philadelphia

U.S. naval officer.

He entered the navy in 1800. During the War of 1812, he served on the USS Wasp when it captured the British ship Frolic, and he commanded the USS Hornet in its victory over the Penguin. In 1817 he was sent to the Columbia River to claim the Oregon Territory for the U.S. As commodore of U.S. ships in East Asia, he negotiated the first treaty, a trade agreement, between the U.S. and China.

* * *

▪ United States naval officer
born Feb. 18, 1783, Philadelphia
died Oct. 1, 1848, Philadelphia
 career U.S. naval officer who negotiated the first treaty between the United States and China.

      Biddle attended the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, before entering the navy as a midshipman in 1800. Retained despite a severe cutback in naval manpower, Biddle served in the war against the Barbary pirates (Barbary pirate). During that conflict he was captured (Oct. 31, 1803) and imprisoned for more than a year and a half in Tripoli.

      Upon his release, Biddle was given command of a gunboat and assigned to protect the South Atlantic coast from pirates. He took a leave of absence in 1807 to serve as first officer on a merchant ship to China. On his return he helped to enforce Pres. Thomas Jefferson's embargo on American trade, and in the years immediately preceding the War of 1812, he served on a number of naval vessels.

      During the war, Biddle was first lieutenant on the “Wasp” when it captured the British ship “Frolic.” He was later taken by the British and imprisoned in Bermuda. He was released before the end of the war and was promoted to master commandant. Biddle took command of the “Hornet,” and his ship conquered the “Penguin,” then made a heroic escape from a much larger British vessel in the final naval engagement of the war.

      In 1817 Biddle was sent to the Columbia River to claim the Oregon Territory for the United States. He subsequently served in the West Indies, off the coast of South America, and in the Mediterranean. He was serving as commodore of the East India Squadron when he became responsible for negotiating the first treaty between the United States and China (1846), for which he is perhaps best remembered. His last command took him to the Pacific Coast during the Mexican War.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Biddle, James — (18 feb. 1783, Filadelfia, Pa., EE.UU.–1 oct. 1848, Filadelfia). Oficial naval estadounidense. Ingresó a la marina en 1800. Durante la guerra anglo estadounidense estuvo a bordo del USS Wasp cuando capturó el buque inglés Frolic, y estuvo al… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Biddle — Biddle, a surname, may refer to:PeopleMembers of the Biddle family* Clement Biddle, 1740–1814, an American Revolutionary soldier and quartermaster general. * Nicholas Biddle (naval officer) (1750 1778) * James Biddle (Leader of American… …   Wikipedia

  • James — James, Henry James, Henry James, William * * * (as used in expressions) Agee, James Anderson, (James) Maxwell Audubon, John James Baldwin, James (Arthur) Balfour (de Whittingehame), Arthur James, 1 conde Ballard, J(ames) G(raham) Barrie, Sir… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • James Biddle — Captain James Biddle (1783 1848). James Biddle (February 18, 1783 – October 1, 1848), of the Biddle family, brother of financier Nicholas Biddle and nephew of Captain Nicholas Biddle, was an American commodore. His flagship was USS Columbus.… …   Wikipedia

  • Biddle — /bid l/, n. 1. Francis, 1886 1968, U.S. attorney general 1941 45. 2. John, 1615 62, English theologian: founder of English Unitarianism. 3. Nicholas, 1786 1844, U.S. financier. * * * (as used in expressions) Biddle James Biddle John Biddle… …   Universalium

  • Biddle — (as used in expressions) Biddle, James Biddle, John Biddle, Nicholas …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • James — /jaymz/, n. 1. Also called James the Great. one of the 12 apostles, the son of Zebedee and brother of the apostle John. Matt. 4:21. 2. the person identified in Gal. 1:19 as a brother of Jesus: probably the author of the Epistle of St. James. 3.… …   Universalium

  • Biddle — est un terme pouvant faire référence à: Patronyme Adrian Biddle (1952 2005), directeur de la photographie britannique Charles Biddle (1926 2003), contrebassiste de jazz canadien David Biddle (né en 1985), joueur de rugby à XV canadien Francis… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • James Clark McReynolds — James C. McReynolds James Clark McReynolds (* 3. Februar 1862 in Elkton, Todd County, Kentucky; † 24. August 1946 in Washington D.C.) war ein US amerikanischer Jurist, Politiker, Justizminister (Attorney General) sowie …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • James Patrick McGranery — James P. McGranery (ganz rechts). Weitere Personen, von links nach rechts: Ein unidentifizierter Mann, Harry S. Truman und Jesse M. Donaldson. James Patrick McGranery (* 8. Juli 1895 in Philadelphia; † 23. Dezember 1962 in …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”