Existing comment:
Matthew C. Perry
1794-1858
No other officer in the antebellum navy had as much influence as Perry. Whether commanding ships and squadrons, conducting diplomatic missions, advocating for technological change, urging the creation of a naval school, improving the life of seamen, or even creating a naval museum, Perry had no peer. He is best remembered as the person who "opened" Japan to foreign trade.
This portrait captures Perry in 1835, when he was stationed at the New York Navy Yard. During this period, Perry was active in reforming the education of officers, training of enlisted men, experimenting with explosive ordnance, and promoting steam power. |