William Bainbridge

William Bainbridge
Born	(1774-05-07)May 7, 1774 Princeton, Province of New Jersey, British America
Died	July 27, 1833(1833-07-27) (aged 59) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Buried	Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1798–1833
Rank	Commodore
Commands held	USS Retaliation USS Norfolk USS George Washington USS Philadelphia USS President USS Constitution USS Columbus
Battles/wars	Quasi War First Barbary War War of 1812 Second Barbary War
Awards	Congressional Gold Medal
Signature

William Bainbridge (May 7, 1774 – July 27, 1833) was a commodore in the United States Navy. During his long career in the young American Navy he served under six presidents beginning with John Adams and is notable for his many victories at sea. He commanded several famous naval ships, including USS Constitution, and saw service in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. Bainbridge was also in command of USS Philadelphia when she grounded off the shores of Tripoli, Libya in North Africa, resulting in his capture and imprisonment for many months. In the latter part of his career he became the U.S. Naval Commissioner.