Oliver Hazard Perry Statue (Newport, Rhode Island)

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bronze, by William Greene Turner, unveiled on 10 September 1885 at The Mall, Washington Square.

Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry (1785 – 1819) was born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. He was the son of Captain Christopher Raymond Perry and Sarah Wallace Alexander, a direct descendant of William Wallace.

Perry’s younger brother, Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry, known as “The Father of the Steam Navy,” was best known for opening Japan to trade (through threat of force).

Referring to a successful naval fleet action on Lake Erie during the War of 1812, Oliver Hazard Perry reported, “We have met the enemy and they are ours!” This was the first time in history that an entire British naval squadron had surrendered.

Perry and his brother are interred in Newport’s Island Cemetery.

The statue was created by Newport-born sculptor William Greene Turner. More of Turner’s work can be found at The Redwood Library and in the collections of The Newport Historical Society.