Hale, Nathan (1755-1776)

US hero of the American Revolution, hanged by the British as a spy. He crossed British lines disguised as a teacher and told George Washington that he wished ‘to be useful’. He was sent behind enemy lines on Long Island to gather information about the British army, and was captured and hanged.

Reputedly his final words were ‘I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country’.

Born in Coventry, Connecticut, Hale graduated from Yale in 1773 and became a schoolteacher. He fought with the Connecticut militia in the American Revolution.