Person

Stephen Decatur

1779–1820 · 19th century

Stephen Decatur was an officer of the United States Navy, famous for burning the captured frigate Philadelphia in Tripoli harbour in 1804 during the First Barbary War. In the War of 1812 he captured the British frigate Macedonian. In 1815 he led a squadron to the Mediterranean in the Second Barbary War and forced Algiers to end tribute from the United States and free American captives. He was killed in a duel in 1820.

Stephen Decatur
Image: Charles Bird King · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

Regency of AlgiersDecline

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Stephen Decatur. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/stephen-decatur
MLA
“Stephen Decatur.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/stephen-decatur. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Stephen Decatur.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/stephen-decatur.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Stephen Decatur’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/stephen-decatur (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻