Porter, David (1780–1843)
Porter, David (1780–1843)
David Porter (b. 1 February 1780; d. 3 March 1843), commander of Mexican navy of independence. An officer in the U.S. Navy, Captain Porter captured the first British ship during the War of 1812. In 1813, he led the first U.S. naval cruise to the Pacific, preying on British shipping off the South American coast and cruising the Marquesas until losing his ship in a battle at Valparaíso, Chile. As commander of the West Indies squadron in 1823, Porter displayed a degree of aggressiveness in Puerto Rico with the Spanish officials that resulted in his court-martial, conviction, and resignation. In 1826, he became commander in chief of the Mexican navy of independence, a post he filled for three years with moderate success. He later filled U.S. diplomatic posts in the Mediterranean until his death.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
David F. Long, Nothing Too Daring: A Biography of Commodore David Porter, 1780–1843 (1970).
David Porter, Journal of a Cruise Made to the Pacific Ocean, edited by R. D. Madison and Karen Hamon (1986).
E. Jeffrey Stann