John Paul Jones Monument
This statue honors the Revolutionary War hero rumored to have been the first to raise the new American flag on a foreign war vessel.
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John Paul Jones was a British merchant marine turned fugitive who took refuge in Virginia in 1773. At the outset of the Revolutionary War, he entered the Continental Navy as a lieutenant. Swiftly promoted to captain, Jones was given command of his first ship in 1776. His aggressive tactics led to his promotion to commodore and earned him a reputation as a pirate among the British.
Created by sculptor Charles Henry Niehaus and architect Thomas Hastings, this memorial to John Paul Jones consists of a bronze portrait statue mounted against a marble pylon. The statue itself depicts Jones in a naval officer's uniform, holding the pommel of his sword in his left hand. On the rear of the pylon, a relief shows Jones hoisting the American flag on a war vessel. Tradition says that he was the first to raise the new flag on a foreign war vessel.
Congress authorized the statue on June 8, 1906 (34 Stat., 224) with an appropriation of $50,000. It was dedicated April 17, 1912. The statue is located at 17th St. and Independence Ave., N.W. and currently owned by the National Park Service.
Part of American Revolution Statuary
National Register: July 14, 1978
Within East and West Potomac Parks Historic District
