Biography
Dahlgren was born on November 13, 1809 in Philadelphia, the son of Bernhard Ulrik Dahlgren, merchant and Swedish Consul in Philadelphia. He joined the United States Navy in 1826 as a midshipman and was promoted to the coastal survey in 1834. By 1847, he was an ordnance officer, and at the Washington Navy Yard began to improve and systematize the procurement and supply system for weapons.
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