Samuel Pepys (1633–1703) was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament. Born in London, he lived through the English Civil War, the Commonwealth, and the Restoration. He rose through the ranks of the Navy, becoming the Chief Secretary to the Admiralty under King Charles II and King James II. Though he was a highly capable and respected public servant during his lifetime, his historical fame rests almost entirely on his personal diary.
Pepys began writing the diary in 1660 and stopped in 1669 when he feared he was going blind. The detailed, ten-year record of his life was never intended for publication and was written in a complex form of shorthand, making it nearly impossible for others to read. It was only in the 19th century that scholars finally decoded the complete manuscript. Pepys, a man known to his contemporaries for his professionalism, is remembered today for the raw and honest portrait of a man and his era that he left for future generations.
