Samuel Francis du Pont, American naval officer, (1872).Artist: John A O'Neill

Samuel Francis du Pont, American naval officer, (1872). Du Pont (1803-1865) was a naval officer who achieved the rank of Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, and a member of the prominent Du Pont family. He served prominently during the Mexican-American War and the Civil War, was superintendent of the United States Naval Academy, and made significant contributions to the modernization of the US Navy. Engraving from A Child's History of the United States by John Gilmary Shea, published by Hess and McDavitt, (New York, 1872). (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)