Benjamin Williams Crowninshield

Benjamin Williams Crowninshield served as the United States Secretary of the Navy between 1815 and 1818, during the administrations of Presidents James Madison and James Monroe.

Crowninshield was born in Salem, Massachusetts, the son of a sea captain and merchant of the Boston Brahmin Crowninshield family. He worked in the family shipping business, Geo. Crowninshield amp Sons, served at sea, and was also active in politics. His family owned the lands near Mineral Spring, where the first Crowninshield family was cradled in the country. He was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1811 and the state Senate in 1812.

Source: Wikipedia