Biography:

Joshua Humphreys was born on June 17, 1751, in Haverford, Pennsylvania, to Joshua Humphreys (Sr.) and Sarah (Williams) Humphreys, who owned large amounts of land in Delaware County.  In Humphreys’s youth, he became a ship carpenter’s apprentice in Philadelphia, and after the death of the master, Humphreys was given control of the ship yard.  His later creation of his own ship yard made him well-known in the colonies as a naval architect, and he was commissioned by the U. S. government in 1776 to build ships in Philadelphia and prepare them for the Revolutionary War.

After the war, Humphreys was again commissioned by the federal government to build a naval fleet to protect the country from pirates and other attacking ships.  These ships needed to be as high quality as those of other European countries, though the fleet would be much smaller.  Humphreys made some key changes to improve six frigates that became the foundation of the American Navy.  His designs and modifications were approved by the government, and in 1794 he was formally appointed naval constructor, with the charge to build the frigates.  Not all of the ships were built in Philadelphia, and only the United States was built in Philadelphia under his supervision.  All of the ships, however, included the modifications suggested by Humphreys, and became known for their speed and efficiency.

By 1801, the government no longer needed a formal naval constructor, and Humphreys was given the task to build a ship yard for use by the Navy in Philadelphia.  He began to participate politically in the city, and was considered a very successful businessman in Philadelphia.  He married Mary Davids in 1776, and they had eleven children.  Joshua Humphreys's brother Charles was a member of the Continental Congress; his son Samuel was also a naval architect, and worked with the federal government after Joshua Humphreys resigned; and his grandson Andrew Atkinson Humphreys served as a general during the American Civil War.  Joshua Humphreys died on January 12, 1838.