Matthew C. Perry, American naval commander (born 1794)

Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry was a United States Navy officer whose nearly fifty-year career included service in the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War. Born in Rhode Island into a prominent naval family, he joined the Navy at age fifteen and rose through the ranks. Perry was a pioneering advocate for steam-powered warships, earning recognition as the “Father of the Steam Navy” for modernizing naval training and technology. His most notable achievement was leading the Perry Expedition (1853–1854), which compelled the Tokugawa shogunate to sign the Convention of Kanagawa, ending Japan’s 200-year isolation and opening ports to American trade. This mission marked a turning point in U.S - Japan relations and helped establish the United States as a global power in the Pacific.