John Paul Jones

About John Paul Jones

John Paul Jones (July 6, 1747(1747-07-06) – July 18, 1792 (aged 45)) was America's first well-known naval hero in the American Revolutionary War.

John Paul Jones was born 'John Paul' in 1747, on the estate of Arbigland in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright on the southern coast of Scotland. John Paul's father was a gardener at Arbigland, and his mother was a member of Clan MacDuff.

John Paul adopted the alias 'John Jones' when he fled to his brother's home in Fredericksburg, Virginia in 1773 to avoid the hangman's noose in Tobago after an incident when he was accused of murdering a sailor under his command, who he claimed had been involved in a mutiny. He began using the name 'John Paul Jones', at the suggestion of his brother.