1. Father of the US Navy John Paul Jones

2. Family He was born July 6, 1747 in Kirkbean, Scotland. His father was also named John Paul and was a gardener. His family was working class. He had six siblings named William, Elizabeth, Janet, Mary Ann & two others that died as a baby. John Paul Jones was the youngest of the children.

3. Education/Training John Paul had very little education. At the age of 13, he became an apprentice seaman and served on many ships in the West Indies trade including the slave trade. He quit the slave trade because he thought it was not nice and returned home on a ship named John. In1768, the captain of the ship died and John Paul took over command of the ship. He was a captain from that time forward. He was only 21.

4. Coming to America While Captain of the Betsy, he killed a man in self-defense. To avoid trial, he left and came to the America colonies in 1775. He changed his name to John Paul Jones. He inherited his brother’s, William, property in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

5. War Achievements In 1775 he offered his services to the new Continental Navy and became a First Lieutenant. In 1776 he was the first to raise the national flag on a ship of war, the Alfred. This was one month before General Washington raised the national flag. In 1778 John Paul Jones was in command of the Ranger when the French was the first to recognize the American flag with a 9 gun salute.

6. War Achievements John Paul Jones had a bold strategy to take the fight to the British coast so the British could not send as many ships to the colonies. He won many battles. On September 23, 1779, the most famous sea battle began. The Bon Homme Richard and the Serapis fought. The Bon Homme Richard had much damage. The Captain of the Serapis asked John Paul Jones if he was ready to surrender. John Paul Jones gave his famous quote. “I have not yet begun to fight.” John Paul Jones and the Bon Homme Richard went on to win the battle.

7. After the War John Paul Jones was awarded the gold medal, the only naval officer from the Continental Navy. John Paul Jones was appointed as a diplomat to negotiate and settle the prize money claims from the War. He was invited to enter the Russian military in their fight against the Turks.

8. Death In 1792, President George Washington signed a petition to grant John Paul Jones American citizenship. Jones did not know this because he died in 1792 in Paris, France. His body was preserved in an alcohol filled lead casket and buried in Paris. In 1899 our French Ambassador started looking for his forgotten grave. In 1905 they found his grave. In 1906, services were held to rebury John Paul Jones in the US Naval Cemetery.

9. Father of the US Navy John Paul Jones knew how to build a strong naval force. He set high standards and developed solid training for his seaman. He never quit when things got tough. He took the fight to the enemy. His determination and unwillingness to surrender has set the standard for today’s Navy.

10. Bibliography "John Paul Jones." Patriots from American Revolution. n.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2012.. "John Paul Jones." bio true story. n.p., n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2012.. Conrad, Dennis M. "John Paul Jones." Biographies in Naval History. n.p., n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2012.. Bradford, James C. "John Paul Jones." The World Book Encyclopedia. 2009. Tibbits, Alison D. John Paul Jones Father of the American Navy. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2002. Print.