Samuel Francis Du Pont

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Samuel Francis Du Pont
Samuel Francis Du Pont by Daniel Huntington, 1867–68, oil on canvas, National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Born	(1803-09-27)September 27, 1803 Bayonne, New Jersey
Died	June 23, 1865(1865-06-23) (aged 61) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Place of burial	Greenville, Delaware
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Navy Union Navy
Years of service	1815–1865
Rank	Rear admiral
Commands	Warren Grampus Perry Congress Cyane Minnesota South Atlantic Blockading Squadron
Battles / wars	Mexican–American War American Civil War
Relations	Du Pont family
Signature

Samuel Francis Du Pont (September 27, 1803 – June 23, 1865) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy, and a member of the prominent Du Pont family. In the Mexican–American War, Du Pont captured San Diego, and was made commander of the California naval blockade. Through the 1850s, he promoted engineering studies at the United States Naval Academy, to enable more mobile and aggressive operations. In the American Civil War, he played a major role in making the Union blockade effective, but was controversially blamed for the failed attack on Charleston, South Carolina in April 1863.