USS New York (ACR-2) - The First American Armored Cruiser

AKA USS Saratoga, AKA USS Rochester. AKA USS Maine was reclassified as a battleship.
Joking aside, USS New York/Saratoga/Rochester was the first armored cruiser of the United States Navy. While it would take some time for the concept to really catch on, she was quite forward-thinking for her era. Many features of her design pointed the way forward.
She had the traditional pre-dreadnought/armored cruiser gun layout. Her armor was relatively thick, but not so much so that it impacted her speed. She was plenty fast for her time and possessed good seakeeping.
Even if you accept the argument that the French beat her to getting the 'first modern armored cruiser', New York is certainly up there.