Thomas Handasyd Perkins
Boston slave trader and opium smuggler (1764–1854) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Colonel Thomas Handasyd Perkins, also known as T. H. Perkins (December 15, 1764 – January 11, 1854), was an American merchant, slave trader, smuggler and philanthropist from a wealthy Boston Brahmin family. Starting with bequests from his grandfather and father-in-law, he amassed a huge fortune. As a young man, he traded slaves in Saint-Domingue, worked as a maritime fur trader trading furs from the American Northwest to China, and then turned to smuggling Turkish opium into China.[1][2] His philanthropic contributions include the Perkins School for the Blind, renamed in his honor; the Boston Museum of Fine Arts; McLean Hospital; along with having a hand in founding the Massachusetts General Hospital.
Thomas Handasyd Perkins | |
---|---|
Born | (1764-12-15)December 15, 1764 |
Died | January 11, 1854(1854-01-11) (aged 89) |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Shipping magnate |
Spouse |
Sarah Elliott
(m. 1788; died 1852) |
Children | 6 |
Parent(s) | James Perkins Elizabeth Peck |
Relatives | Edward Clarke Cabot (grandson) James Elliot Cabot (grandson) Samuel Cabot III (grandson) Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz (granddaughter) |