Captain William Kidd

A Scottish sea captain who was commissioned as a privateer and had experience as a pirate.

He was tried and executed in London in 1701 for murder and piracy. Kidd had captured a French ship, commanded by an English captain, as a prize. He had been commissioned by the Crown as a privateer for this expedition, but the political climate of England turned against him in this case. Some modern historians, for example Sir Cornelius Neale Dalton, deem his piratical reputation unjust and say that he was acting as a privateer. Documents found in the early 20th century in London court papers support Kidd's account of his actions.

Kidd owned properties at 56 Wall Street, 86-90 and 119-21 Pearl Street, 52-56 Water Street and 25, 27 and 29 Pine Street. His main residence was at 119-21 Pearl Street, which more or less corresponds to the modern intersections of Pearl between Wall and Hanover Streets.