Samuel Pepys
Secretary to the Admiralty and the most important naval administrator in English history, he built the professional Royal Navy that came to dominate world oceans. His Diary (1660-1669, written in cipher) is the most vivid eyewitness account of Restoration London, including the Great Plague (1665), Great Fire (1666), and Dutch Raid on the Medway (1667).
- Lived: 1633 CE – 1703 CE
- Nationality: English
- Roles: diarist, naval administrator, civil servant
