Jonathan Williams (May 20, 1750May 16, 1815) was an American businessman, military figure, politician and writer. He became

Chief of Engineers The Chief of Engineers is a principal United States Army staff officer at The Pentagon. The Chief advises the Army on engineering matters, and serves as the Army's topographer and proponent for real estate and other related engineering programs ...

of the Army Corps of Engineers, was the first superintendent of

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high grou ...

, and was elected to the Fourteenth United States Congress.

Biography

Williams was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- m ...

in the

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of E ...

and attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

. Williams, a grandnephew of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

, in 1779 married Marianne Alexander, a Scottish girl, daughter of William Alexander a friend of Benjamin Franklin.

His stay in Europe

He spent most of the period from 1770 to 1785 in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separa ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In January 1777, aged 26, at the suggestion of Silas Deane, Jonathan Williams went to Nantes to keep a close eye on Thomas Morris, who had just taken up the post of commercial agent. Williams was also required to inspect shipments of ammunition, uniforms and men, which led him to rent premises and hire staff. He had also "to gather information on all subjects that affect American interests." Many people wanted to do business with the Americans; Williams decided to rely mainly on Jean Peltier Dudoyer, a local shipowner. A dispute soon arose. Since France was not officially at war, the Americans asked Peltier Dudoyer to build a ship which, when offshore, would become a corsair. It was the ''Lion'' later named ''Deane''. But the atmosphere was detestable, all French landed quickly, including

Nicolas Baudin Nicolas Thomas Baudin (; 17 February 1754 – 16 September 1803) was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer, most notable for his explorations in Australia and the southern Pacific. Biography Early career Born a comm ...

. J. Williams served as arbiter and signed a certificate discharging Peltier Dudoyer. When Morris died, William Lee was sent to France. He had to review and close the accounts and consider Morris’ replacement. Pending a decision of the Congress, Williams remained in office. This was the beginning of various problems: there are 4 brothers Lee and a nephew Thomas ... Moreover, Deane departed for the United States and was replaced by

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...

, who did not speak French and began to question Williams’ achievements. The resale of the Drake, seized by John Paul Jones, caused difficulties: J. Williams sold the ship to Schweighauser, a shipowner from Nantes, while American Captain NcNeil wanted to buy it. Finally, after an agreement, the ''Drake'' was resold to Peltier Dudoyer "on behalf of Mr. de Monthieu" on November 20, 1778. The dispute between J. Williams and the Lee family, was settled by a duel in Lorient, June 18, 1779. On that day, Williams, allegedly drunk, insulted Thomas Lee. They met in a room, fired at each other and both fortunately missed.

His return to the United States

Back in the United States, he joined the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

in 1787 and published articles on scientific subjects. President

appointed Williams a major in the Corps of Artillerists and Engineers in February 1801. President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

upon approval made him the Army's Inspector of Fortifications and assigned him to serve as the first superintendent of

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high grou ...

in December 1801. The following year Jefferson also appointed him to concurrently command the separate Corps of Engineers established by the Military Peace Establishment Act and Congress and signed by Jefferson on March 16, 1802. He vacated (not resigned) his Superintendent position in 1803 but was reappointed in 1805. In 1802, the investor Richard Woodhull purchased in north

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, beh ...

and named the area Williamsburgh (later changed to Williamsburg), after Williams, who surveyed the land. From 1807 to 1811 Williams designed and completed construction of

Castle Williams Castle Williams is a circular fortification of red sandstone on the northwest point of Governors Island, part of a system of forts designed and constructed in the early 19th century to protect New York City from naval attack. It is a prominent ...

(the East Battery) and

Castle Clinton Castle Clinton (also known as Fort Clinton and Castle Garden) is a circular sandstone fort within Battery Park at the southern end of Manhattan in New York City. Built from 1808 to 1811, it was the first American immigration station, predating ...

(the West Battery) in

New York Harbor New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest Harbor#Natural harbor ...

. Castle Williams was the first

casemate A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" mean ...

d battery in the United States. He founded the U.S. Military Philosophical Society and gave it its motto, "Science in War is the Guarantee of Peace." He resigned from the Army in July 1812 because the

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of th ...

, William Eustis, refused to give him command of

, a fortification that he designed and was named after him. At that time, New York State placed him in charge of construction of fortifications for New York City. He eventually returned to Philadelphia and headed a group of volunteer engineers building fortifications around the city when he was elected to the Fourteenth United States Congress from that city in 1814. He died of gout in Philadelphia before the Congress assembled. He was originally buried in Pine Street Cemetery between 4th and 5th Streets in Philadelphia and was re-interred in

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery i ...

in 1862.

References

*''This article contains

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

text from'' *Tugdual de Langlais, L'armateur préféré de Beaumarchais Jean Peltier Dudoyer, de Nantes à l'Isle de France, Éd. Coiffard, 2015, 340 p. ().
The Political Graveyard

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Jonathan Superintendents of the United States Military Academy United States Army Corps of Engineers Chiefs of Engineers American merchants American people of English descent American science writers 1750 births 1815 deaths Harvard University alumni Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania United States Army colonels Members of the American Philosophical Society

Biography

His stay in Europe

His return to the United States

See also

References

External links