Commodore Lawrence Kearny (30 November 1789 – 29 November 1868) was an officer 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 ...
during the early nineteenth century. In the early 1840s he began negotiations with
China which opened that country to U.S. trade and pointed the way toward the American
Open Door Policy
The Open Door Policy () is the United States diplomatic policy established in the late 19th and early 20th century that called for a system of equal trade and investment and to guarantee the territorial integrity of Qing China. The policy wa ...
a half century later. He was
Mayor of Perth Amboy, New Jersey The Current Mayor of Perth Amboy is Helmin Caba, who was elected on December 15, 2020 after defeating Wilda Diaz and was sworn in on January 1, 2021. Perth Amboy, New Jersey is governed under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government under t ...
in 1848.
Early life
Born in
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...
, Kearny was appointed
Midshipman in the Navy 24 July 1807. Commodore Kearny was known for his tenacity in capturing
slave traders
The history of slavery spans many cultures
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and h ...
in
West-Indian waters and his efforts in fighting
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
s in the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
. In 1818, he commanded
USS ''Enterprise'' of the
New Orleans Squadron when he sailed to Galveston, Texas and forced
Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte ( – ) was a French pirate and privateer who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time used "Lafitte". Th ...
to abandon his base without a fight.
Pacific Diplomacy
China
Some Americans in China suffered during the first
Opium War
The First Opium War (), also known as the Opium War or the Anglo-Sino War was a series of military engagements fought between Britain and the Qing dynasty of China between 1839 and 1842. The immediate issue was the Chinese enforcement of the ...
of 1839 as Chinese indignant about British opium traders failed to distinguish between English-speaking people of European ancestry. Commodore Kearny was given command of a squadron consisting of the 42-year-old frigate ''
Constellation'' and the sloop ''
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- mo ...
''. Kearny's March 1842 arrival in China reflects the speed of early 19th century communications. Kearny's orders—to 1) protect the interests of the United States and her citizens along the coast of China, 2) to respect the foreign and domestic policies of the Chinese, and 3) prevent and punish opium smuggling into China by Americans or under the cover of the American flag—similarly reflect the broad discretion given to naval officers who would have to wait months for official response from higher authority.
[Hanks, Robert J., CAPT USN "Commodore Lawrence Kearny, the Diplomatic Seaman" ''United States Naval Institute Proceedings'' November 1970 pp.70-72]
The Opium War had ended, but letters from American merchants began arriving aboard as soon as ''Constellation'' anchored in
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...
. The letters requested protection from the Chinese and demanded reparations for damages. Kearny first issued a ban against American smuggling and then reviewed the reparations claims. Kearny considered some claims valid and others gross overstatements.
Viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...
Ke in
Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
wrote to the United States Vice Consul: "...I have heard that the newly arrived Commodore manages affairs with clear understanding, profound wisdom, and great justice." Ke committed China to abide by Kearny's decisions regarding adjudication of claims, and several hundred thousand dollars were paid to American merchants.
Kearny first learned of the
Treaty of Nanking
The Treaty of Nanjing was the peace treaty which ended the First Opium War (1839–1842) between Great Britain and the Qing dynasty of China on 29 August 1842. It was the first of what the Chinese later termed the Unequal Treaties.
In the ...
when he arrived in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
. Kearny observed the treaty's provisions opening five Chinese ports to British trade, and sought equal trading opportunity for Americans. Ke offered Kearny a treaty giving Americans fair treatment. Kearny did not have authority to sign such a treaty, but tactfully informed Ke agreement would be forthcoming as soon as authorized negotiators arrived.
Caleb Cushing
Caleb Cushing (January 17, 1800 – January 2, 1879) was an American Democratic politician and diplomat who served as a Congressman from Massachusetts and Attorney General under President Franklin Pierce. He was an eager proponent of territor ...
reached China in 1844, and the
Treaty of Wanghia
The Treaty of Wanghia (also known as the Treaty of Wangxia; Treaty of peace, amity, and commerce, between the United States of America and the Chinese Empire; ) was the first of the unequal treaties imposed by the United States on China. As per ...
was signed on 2 July.
Hawaii
![Kearny Cloak, Memoirs Bishop Museum, Vol](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Kearny_Cloak%2C_Memoirs_Bishop_Museum%2C_Vol._VII%2C_Fig._36.jpg)
Kearny visited the
Hawaiian Islands on his return voyage in July 1843. He discovered King
Kamehameha III had ceded the islands to
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
under threat of naval bombardment by
Lord George Paulet
George Paulet CB (12 August 1803 – 22 November 1879) was an officer of the Royal Navy.
He entered the navy shortly after the end of the Napoleonic Wars and after some years obtained his own command. He served off the Iberian Peninsula durin ...
. He received letters of protests from American residents of
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
.
Commodore
Thomas ap Catesby Jones
Thomas ''ap'' Catesby Jones (24 April 1790 – 30 May 1858) was a U.S. Navy commissioned officer during the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War.
Early life and education
Thomas ap Catesby Jones was born on 24 April 1790 in Westmor ...
arrived a short time later on the .
Kearny's orders were 3 years old at that point, and English disavowal of Paulet's actions was unknown to either side in Hawaii. Kearny issued a stiff, formal protest against the seizure and refused to recognize its validity until Hawaiian and English representatives settled the matter with United States representatives. England's senior officer in the Pacific,
Rear Admiral Thomas, arrived two weeks later with the news Hawaiian sovereignty had been restored.
Later career
Commodore Kearny later served as Commandant at the
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
and
New York Naval Shipyard
The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a ...
s. He retired November 14, 1861. He died in
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...
on November 29, 1868.
Namesake
USS ''Kearny'' (DD-432) was named for him.
Kearny Cottage was Kearny's lifelong residence.
Notes
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kearny, Lawrence
1789 births
1868 deaths
Mayors of Perth Amboy, New Jersey
United States Navy officers
19th-century American politicians