Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Stephen DECATUR
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: Stephen Decatur (1779-1820), an American naval officer and War of 1812 hero, was born in Sinepuxent, near Berlin, Maryland in 1779. The son of American naval officer and privateer Stephen Decatur (1752-1808), he was commissioned a midshipman in the U.S. Navy in 1798. After rising to his first command in 1803, Stephen Decatur participated in the Tripolitan War (1801-1805). During that war, he became famous for his daring capture and burning of the U.S. frigate "Philadelphia" in Tripoli harbor in 1804. For that action he was promoted to captain. He took part in the bombardment of Tripoli and negotiated with the bey of Tunis. Decatur returned to America in 1805 and assumed command of naval forces on the southeastern coast in 1808. It was in 1808 that Decatur served as one of the judges on the court-martial that suspended Captain James Barron following the "Chesapeake-Leopard" incident. Decatur distinguished himself during the War of 1812, especially when the U.S.S. "United States," under his command, captured the H.M.S. "Macedonian" off Madeira on October 25, 1812. The British blockaded him with his prize in New London, Connecticut not long thereafter. In early 1815, he boldly attempted to run the blockade of New York with the U.S.S. "President." This action led to an engagement with several British vessels and his surrender. As a commodore in the Algerine War in 1815, he dictated a treaty with Algiers. He also exacted settlements from Tunis and Tripoli. From 1815 to 1820, Decatur held a powerful role as a navy commissioner, and he and his wife lived in the nation's capital and played an integral role in Washington's social and political life during that period. Initially, they lived next door to the Madisons in a house in one of the "Seven Buildings." In 1818-1819, Benjamin Henry Latrobe built the couple a house, which came to be known as Decatur House, next to Lafayette Square (then known as President's Square). Stephen Decatur lived in that house but 14 months as he was killed in a duel at Bladensburg, Maryland by his longtime enemy Captain James Barron on March 22, 1820. Susan Decatur was born the daughter of Luke Wheeler, who served for a time as mayor of Norfolk, Virginia. In 1826, several years after her husband's death, she began her efforts to obtain the prize money owed her husband for his capture of the "Philadelphia." In time, Susan Decatur became one of Georgetown College's most important benefactors at a time when the college experienced financial trouble. In 1834, she decided to donate $7,000 to the college, and she provided that sum of money in 1837 after being awarded a federal pension. Under the agreement with Georgetown College, Mrs. Decatur received an annuity payment of $644 per year until her death. At the time of her death on July 21, 1860, her claim for the prize money from the "Philadelphia" was still unresolved by Congress. Susan Decatur lived for a time in a house known as Decatur Cottage, which was located on land adjacent to Georgetown College on a site close to what is now the site of the White-Gravenor building. While the land is now part of Georgetown University, in Mrs. Decatur's time it was not on college grounds. The Decatur Cottage was built by William Brook, the father of carpenter Joseph Brook. For a history of Decatur Cottage and a description of its many inhabitants, see the "Georgetown College Journal" (Vol. 5, No. 7, p. 73-4, April 1877; Vol. 6, No. 3, p. 34, December 1877; and Vol. 6, No. 5, p. 52, February 1878). A photograph of Decatur Cottage is preserved in the University Archives photo file. Falling into disrepair by 1877, the house was torn down on November 21 and 22 of that year. Susan Decatur converted to the Catholic faith in 1828. Rev. John Curley, S.J. was her confessor. She was buried in the Old Georgetown College Cemetery located immediately to the northwest of the current White-Gravenor building. Her remains were subsequently moved to Holy Rood Cemetery and subsequent to that to St. Peter's churchyard in Philadelphia, where she rests beside her husband. The records of Holy Rood Cemetery are stored in the Georgetown University Library Special Collections Division. Sources: Curran, Robert Emmett, S.J. "The Bicentennial History of Georgetown University: From Academy to University, 1789-1889." Volume 1. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 1993. "Concise Dictionary of American Biography." New York: Scribner's, 1964. "Decatur House." Eds. Helen Duprey Bullock et al. Washington, DC: National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1968. "Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume, 1607-1896." Chicago: Marquis, 1963..................http://www.library.georgetown.edu/dept/speccoll/decatur/index.htm
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