John Drake Sloat (July 26, 1781 – November 28, 1867) was a commodore in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

who, in 1846, claimed

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

for the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Life

He was born at the family home of Sloat House in Sloatsburg, New York, of Dutch ancestry, and was orphaned at an early age, his father, Captain John Sloat, having been mistakenly shot and killed by one of his own sentries two months before he was born, and his mother dying a few years later. Sloat was brought up by his maternal grandparents. Appointed midshipman in the Navy in 1800, he was sailing master of the frigate under Commodore Stephen Decatur during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

, and was promoted to lieutenant for conspicuous gallantry in the capture of the frigate . Sloat then commanded the schooner during which he fought the March 1825 naval campaign against the pirate ship of Roberto Cofresí. He later served on the ships and , and from 1828 commanded the sloop with the rank of master commandant, to which he had been promoted in 1826. He was promoted to captain in 1837, and from 1840 to 1844 was in charge of the Portsmouth Navy Yard.

California

In 1844 Sloat was appointed to command the

Pacific Squadron The Pacific Squadron was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially with no United States ports in the Pacific, they operated out of storeships which provided naval s ...

, and in 1845, as tensions with

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

grew, he was instructed to land in Alta California and claim it for the United States if war broke out. Receiving a report of fighting on the

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

border while off Mazatlán, he raced north (the British were reportedly interested in California too), engaged in a skirmish called the

Battle of Monterey The Battle of Monterey, at Monterey, California, occurred on 7 July 1846, during the Mexican–American War. The United States captured the town unopposed. Prelude In February 1845, at the Battle of Providencia, the Californio forces had ous ...

, raised the flag over the Customs House at Monterey on July 7, 1846, and issued a proclamation announcing that California was now part of the United States. He was a military Governor of California for only twenty-two days, before handing over the office to

Robert F. Stockton Robert Field Stockton (August 20, 1795 – October 7, 1866) was a United States Navy commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican–American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam- ...

. Later, his poor health forced Sloat to take commands ashore, where he commanded the

Norfolk Navy Yard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility t ...

1847–51, directed the construction of the

Stevens Battery The Stevens Battery was an early design for a type of ironclad, proposed for use by the United States Navy before the American Civil War. One full-sized example was begun but never completed due to lack of funding. Background In 1841, the Unit ...

in 1855, and helped plan the Mare Island Navy Yard. He retired with the rank of captain in December 1861, and was promoted to rear admiral on the retired list in July 1866. Sloat was a Freemason, and belonged to St. Nicholas lodge No. 321 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He died in New Brighton, New York, and was buried in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery.

Legacy

Two destroyers were named in his honor as well as the World War II Liberty ship, the SS John Drake Sloat. The town, Sloat, California, in Plumas County, California was named for him in 1910. A major street, Sloat Boulevard, and the Commodore Sloat Elementary School, both in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

, California are named for him. John Sloat Elementary School located in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

is named for him. Streets located in Monterey, California, East Garrison, California, Sacramento, California, and the Carthay Circle neighborhood of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

bear his name. There is a monument erected in his honor on the Presidio of Monterey U.S. Army post. His hometown of Sloatsburg, New York is named after his grandfather, Stephen Sloat.

Dates of Rank

*Midshipman - 12 February 1800 *Sailing Master - 10 January 1812 *Lieutenant - 24 July 1813 *Master Commandant - 21 March 1826 *Captain - 9 February 1837 *Reserved List - 27 September 1855 *Retired List - 21 December 1861 *Commodore on Retired List - 16 July 1862 *Rear Admiral, Retired List - 25 July 1866

Gallery

Base of John Sloat memorial.jpg, Base of John Sloat memorial Sloat memorial overlooking Monterey Bay.jpg, Sloat memorial overlooking Monterey Bay John D. Sloat.jpg, 1905 lithograph (origin unknown) Sloat medallion - Native Sons Building - San Francisco, CA - DSC03980.jpg, Sloat medallion on Native Sons Building, San Francisco

Notes

References

Proclamation to the Inhabitants of California
(7 July 1846). * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sloat, John American people of the Bear Flag Revolt Commanders of the California Republic United States military governors of California People of the Conquest of California Military personnel from California United States Navy personnel of the Mexican–American War United States Navy rear admirals (upper half) American people of Dutch descent 1781 births 1867 deaths Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery Namesakes of San Francisco streets People from Sloatsburg, New York 19th-century American politicians