Oldest pirate

The oldest active pirate during the Golden Age of piracy was Captain William Kidd (born c. 1645, d. 23 May 1701), who plied his trade until the age of 54; owing to the many occupational hazards, the majority of pirates only lived into their mid-30s. Born in Dundee, Scotland, he became a privateer in 1689 after a distinguished career at sea. Kidd only became associated with piracy late in his career in 1698 after he captured the ship the Quedagh Merchant in the Indian Ocean.

His job as a privateer was to capture any enemy ships working against the British East India Company. On 30 January 1698, Kidd captured the Quedagh Merchant which turned out to be captained by an Englishman who was sailing under English passes. Since Kidd had taken a ship that was not captained by an enemy, such as the French or Dutch, this meant he was now deemed a pirate. Not only that, but Kidd also got in a fight with one of his crew members, William Moore, and killed him after hitting him over the head with a bucket.

When news reached the British, they initiated a manhunt to capture Kidd because they needed to prove to the powerful Indian merchants that they were protecting the Indian Ocean from pirates. Kidd did not realize he was wanted for piracy until he reached Madagascar. When he heard about this, he sailed to the Caribbean where he sold all his plundered goods and his ship. He wrote a letter to his friend and financier, Lord Bellomont (governor of New York and Massachusetts) for help. Bellomont did not want to be associated with a pirate so he lured Kidd to Boston with a false promise that he would be safe. When Kidd arrived on 7 July 1699, he was immediately arrested and thrown into prison for two years before being transported to London, UK. He was put on trial and found guilty of piracy. He hanged at Execution Dock in East London on 23 May 1701.