Jonathan Bourne Jr. (1811–1889) was a whaling agent and merchant who lived and worked in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Jonathan Bourne Jr. | |
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| Born | March 25, 1811 Sandwich, Massachusetts |
| Died | August 7, 1889 (aged 78) New Bedford, Massachusetts |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman and politician |
| Known for | Namesake of Bourne, Massachusetts |
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Biography edit
Jonathan Bourne Jr. was born in Sandwich, Massachusetts on March 25, 1811, the tenth of eleven children, and was raised on a farm there.[1] When he was seventeen, he moved to New Bedford and entered the grocery business.[2][3]: 45 By the time he was 24, he had married into the Nye-Howland family and had started investing in whaling ships.[3]: 45
Business ventures edit
In 1841, he purchased the Lagoda, a merchant vessel he converted to a whaling ship.[3]: 45 The Lagoda became the most lucrative whaling ship in New Bedford's history.[3]: 45 Bourne would serve as agent for 24 vessels and own stock in 22 more.[3]: 45
He also invested in the Gosnold Mill, Hathaway Mill, Bourne Mill, and Acushnet Mill.[3]: 45 He also directed the Union Street Railway Company, the Western Railroad, and the New Bedford, Vineyard, and Nantucket Steamboat Company.[3]: 45
Civic engagement edit
Bourne was initially a member of the Whig Party, and later became a Republican.[1] He was instrumental in the election of Abraham Lincoln.[3]: 45 He helped West Sandwich achieve township, and that town was named Bourne after him.[3]: 45
Death edit
Bourne died at his home in New Bedford on August 7, 1889.[4]
References edit
- ^ a b Hurd, Duane Hamilton, ed. (1883). History of Bristol County, Massachusetts With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 1. Philadelphia: J. W. Lewis & Co. pp. 144–145. Retrieved May 8, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "MSS 18: Jonathan Bourne Jr. Business Records, 1836-1899 - New Bedford Whaling Museum". www.whalingmuseum.org. April 11, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Museum, New Bedford Whaling (2015). Treasures of the Whaling Museum: Touchstone to the Region's Past. Old Dartmouth Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-9845534-6-4.
- ^ "Death of Jonathan Bourne". Fall River Globe. August 8, 1889. p. 4. Retrieved May 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.