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Commodore John Barry

Washington, Italy

Commodore John Barry

The statue of John Barry commemorates the "Father of the United States Navy", Commodore John Barry (1745–1806). Barry was an Irish-born sailor who joined the American colonists in the fight for independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Barry became the first officer to be commissioned by the S

econd Continental Congress. He captained several ships during the American Revolutionary War, and fought not only in the Continental Navy, but also in the Continental Army as well. He was the first American to capture an enemy ship and was promoted to commodore by President George Washington in 1794. Barry's last ship, the United States, fought in the Quasi-War. He retired in 1801, but remained head of the United States Navy until his death in 1806. Plans to build a memorial to Barry began in 1902. With assistance from members of Congress, a bill to install the memorial and the allocation of $50,000 (equivalent to $1,745,741 in 2024) to pay for it was approved in 1906. The National Commodore John Barry Statue Commission included government officials, veterans, and many Irish American groups. The person who won the commission to create the sculpture was John J. Boyle. Work on the sculpture...

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