Famous Commodore John Cassin

Commodore John Cassin is listed as a famous memorial on the website Find A Grave. I selected Commodore John Cassin to write about because I was curious to find out what made Cassin stand out among the hundreds of burials in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church   and to discover what made Cassin famous.

In memory of John and his wife Ann
Willcox Cassin. (FindAGrave.com)

Cassin's box tomb grave marker (FindAGrave.com)

 
John Cassin was a Commodore in the United States Navy, which means he was of high rank and played an important role in the Navy. Find A Grave reveals how Cassin fought in the Revolution as early as 1777, and fought in well known battles like the Battle of Trenton.

Cassin survived two shipwrecks after becoming a First Mate as a Pennsylvania Privateer on the "Mayflower" on June 27, 1782 and later a merchant seaman. Commodore Cassin was also very close friends with former President George Washington through the Revolution. Washington even gifted Cassin an oil portrait of himself as a token of friendship. However, that portrait was destroyed in a fire.

Before John Cassin was a Commodore, he worked up the ranks of the military from Lieutenant in November of 1799, then Master Commandant in April of 1806, followed by Captain in July of 1812 which was the highest rank in the U.S. Military. During the war of 1812 through 1815, he was the Commanding Officer of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard from August of 1812 through June of 1821. In 1821, Cassin was chosen as Commanding Officer of the Southern Naval station in Charleston, South Carolina.

This shift in positions lead Commodore John Cassin, born in Philadelphia on July 7, 1760, to live the rest of his life in Charleston. Cassin lived in Charleston from his arrival on June 1, 1821 until his death on March 24, 1822 at age 61.

Commodore John Cassin Military Portrait
(FindAGrave.com).