Joseph Hewes is best known as one of North Carolina’s three signers of the Declaration of Independence. But he also played an important role in the creation of the U.S. Navy. In fact, a World War II transport ship, the U.S.S. Joseph Hewes, was named for him, and so was a frigate deployed in the Vietnam War.
The date of the Navy’s founding is October 13, 1775. The Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, initially authorized the construction of two ships (ultimately 13 ships, with 20 more leased or purchased from private owners). This decision was the result of a proposal by the recently created Naval Board Committee and reflected the growing concerns that led to the American Revolution. Hewes was not appointed to the committee until October 30, but soon he “played a major part in the procurement and outfitting of Continental vessels, and had the distinction of securing a commission in the Continental Navy in December 1775 for one of the sea’s greatest heroes-to-be, John Paul Jones,“ writes an official history of the Navy. [1]
Several factors have obscured Hewes’ role. During the American Revolution, the U.S. Navy never received the attention that colonists gave to the Continental Army. The Continental Congress viewed a land army as a necessity and appointed George Washington its commander-in-chief on June 19, 1775. But a navy didn’t seem to be so important. According to an official record of the U.S. Navy’s history, in 1775 “[m]ost of the delegates did not consider the break with England as final and feared that a navy implied sovereignty and independence. Others thought a navy a hasty and foolish challenge to the mightiest fleet the world had seen.”[2]
Another reason why Hewes’ part in the founding is neglected is that the Navy was “founded” three times. Hewes helped create the first in 1775, but it was disbanded after the Revolution and had to be created anew in the 1790s—and then again, following the Civil War. As for Hewes himself, several biographers who praise him for his work in the Continental Congresses largely ignore his impact on the Navy. [3] Finally, according to a genealogical report on Hewes, his contributions have been “somewhat ignored in history because he had no direct line descendants.”[4]
Who Was Joseph Hewes?
Joseph Hewes was a highly successful merchant shipper in Edenton, North Carolina, where he owned a number of ships and conducted trade with Great Britain. Born in New Jersey in 1730, he had begun his career in a Philadelphia counting-house. At about the age of 30, he moved to the bustling port of Edenton where he continued to build wealth. “With a likeable, easy-going personality; a natural head for business; and a vigorous work ethic, Hewes quickly rose to the top of Edenton society,“ writes historian Jeff Broadwater. [5]
Then, in 1774 and 1775, North Carolina sent him to the First and Second Continental Congresses in Philadelphia, where the colonists grappled with how to deal with the British and their punitive laws. Like many others in the congress, Hewes was initially unwilling to declare full independence and hoped for reconciliation with Britain. He was probably influenced by the fact that he belonged to the Society of Friends, who opposed war generally and war with Britain specifically. Yet he agreed with taking action against the British to persuade them to relax their policies. And during the debate over the Declaration of Independence in the early summer of 1776, he dramatically shed his pacifism and became a proponent of war against Britain.
The Process of Forming a Navy
In August 1775, the colony of Rhode Island requested that the Congress aid the colonies with naval protection against British assault. That led to the October decision to start a navy and to begin to build ships. A Naval Board was formed, and, on October 30, it was expanded to include Hewes. Later, a Marine Committee replaced it, and “Hewes became its most active member.” [6]
As the formation of a navy progressed, it was necessary to decide on a commander-in-chief and ship captains and staff. John Adams, an influential member of the Marine Committee (and eventual U.S. president) engaged in a conflict with Joseph Hewes. Joseph Hewes promoted his Virginia friend and first-rate seaman, John Paul Jones, as one of the four ship captains, but Adams wanted all the captains to be New Englanders, and he prevailed. Adams, a New Englander, felt he had gone a long way in recognizing southern preferences when he supported the selection of George Washington, a Virginian, to head the Continental Army.
So, John Paul Jones (whose real name was simply John Paul) became one of the five first lieutenants. However, Jones also gave Hewes a number of ideas about how to run the Navy and then presented them to the committee. Very quickly Jones became captain of his own ship, the Alfred. Later he became famous for the battle between his ship, the Bonhomme Richard, and the British ship Serapis, when he said, “I have not yet begun to fight.”
Meanwhile, “Hewes worked tirelessly for the success of the Revolution, particularly in securing ships and supplies for the American cause.” [7] According to the Naval Institute, “No one man founded our navy. Its establishment was a composite work, in which John Adams, Stephen Hopkins, Robert Morris, Joseph Hewes, John Hancock, John Paul Jones, Esek Hopkins and many others participated.”[8] Hewes should probably receive more attention for his contribution than he has received so far.