Neptune's Needle

... He was master of the schooner on a voyage to Europe in 1790. In 1791 he took the Henry to the West Indies. On Nov. 3, 1792, he returned from Calcutta and the Isle of France (Mauritius). On Jan. 23, 1793, he sailed again for India in the Henry, returning in November 1794. In April 1796 he brought to New York, in the famous armed ship America, the first live elephant ever seen in the United States. It was a female six feet four inches high and sold for $10,000. ...he was an uncompromising supporter of Jeffersonian policies.

... In 1805 President Jefferson invited him to succeed Robert Smith as secretary of the navy. Crowninshield felt compelled to decline, but the President nevertheless send his nomination to the Senate. It was confirmed, and according to the records of the Department of State Crowninshield was secretary of the navy from March 3, 1805 until March 7, 1809, although he never assumed the duties of the office.

... His own health grew precarious. The rugged young Viking, who could take a clipper from Salem round the Cape of Good Hope to Calcutta and back again, succumbed to the stuffy, unventilated atmosphere of the hall of the House of Representatives. Blood gushed from his throat as he brought his last speech to a close.

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Peter Richards