John R. Goldsborough | |
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| Born | 2 July 1809 Washington, D.C. |
| Died | 22 June 1877 (aged 67) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Buried | Church of St. James the Less, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1824–1870 |
| Rank |  Commodore |
| Commands | |
| Battles / wars |
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| Relations | Louis M. Goldsborough (brother) |
Commodore John R. Goldsborough (2 July 1809 – 22 June 1877) was an officer in the United States Navy. Goldsborough was made a cadet-midshipman in 1824 and as such saw action in the Mediterranean against pirates. In one incident, while in charge of 18 men he attacked and captured a Greek pirate ship with a 58-man crew.
Promoted to lieutenant in 1837 he was involved in charting the United States East Coast and in 1847 introduced the standardized system of markings for buoys and navigational markers ashore still in use in the United States today.
Goldsborough was a commodore at the outbreak of the American Civil War in April 1861, commanding the screw steamer USS Union. That year the Union captured several Confederate blockade runners and engaged and destroyed the Confederate privateer York. He was promoted to captain in 1862. During the rest of the war he was successful in several commands, capturing further Confederate ships.
After the war he voyaged widely in the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and China Sea. In 1868 he was briefly Commander-in-Chief of the Asiatic Squadron. He retired in 1870.