Decatur, Stephen (1779-1820)

US naval hero. During the war with the Barbary pirates at Tripoli 1801-05, he succeeded in burning the Philadelphia, a US frigate captured by the enemy. During the War of 1812 with Britain, he commanded three vessels, captured the British frigate Macedonian, and was blockaded by the British. He surrendered only after a desperate resistance in 1815. Later that year, he was again sent to the Barbary Coast, where he forced the bey of Algiers to sign the treaty ending US tribute to Algeria. He was killed in a duel.

He is known for the phrase ‘Our country, right or wrong’, coined while giving a toast.

Decatur was born in Sinepuxent, Maryland, of French extraction. He was killed during a duel with Commodore James Barron, whose return to duty he had opposed following the Chesapeake-Leopard Incident in 1807, one of the events leading to the War of 1812.

Decatur, Stephen (1752-1808)

American naval officer. He commanded five different privateer vessels during the American Revolution and became a captain in the US Navy in 1798. He commanded the USS Delaware during the undeclared war with France.

He was born in Newport, Rhode Island and was the father of Stephen Decatur (1779-1820).