Federalist Tycoon: The Life and Times of Israel Thorndike

by Timothy H. Kistner

Overview

Born poor in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1755, the young Israel Thorndike was a fisherman and ship owner who made a small fortune as a Revolutionary War privateer. Later he became a wealthy merchant, a delegate to the Massachusetts Ratification Convention and a director of the National Bank in Boston. A longtime Federalist legislator, he was highly regarded within the radical circles that contemplated secession during the Jefferson administration and the War of 1812. After the war, Thorndike concluded his multifaceted career as the leading venture capitalist financing the early Industrial Revolution. Sadly, his story is little known. Federalist Tycoon pulls Thorndike's life and career from the shadows and fully examines his impact on American economic development.
Born poor in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1755, the young Israel Thorndike was a fisherman and ship owner who made a small fortune as a Revolutionary War privateer. Later he became a wealthy merchant, a delegate to the Massachusetts Ratification Convention and a director of the National Bank in Boston. A longtime Federalist legislator, he was highly regarded within the radical circles that contemplated secession during the Jefferson administration and the War of 1812. After the war, Thorndike concluded his multifaceted career as the leading venture capitalist financing the early Industrial Revolution. Sadly, his story is little known. Federalist Tycoon pulls Thorndike's life and career from the shadows and fully examines his impact on American economic development.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761865711
Publisher:	University Press of America
Publication date:	04/21/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	194
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Timothy H. Kistner is an attorney in Boston where he lives with his wife, Alex. A graduate of Tufts University and Boston University School of Law, he previously served in the Obama administration at the Department of Homeland Security.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
List of Illustrations
Prologue: October, 1814
Chapter 1: A Colonial Childhood, 1755–1775
Chapter 2: Revolution and Riches, 1775–1792
Chapter 3: The Wealthy Merchant, 1792–1802
Chapter 4: War Again, 1802–1807
Chapter 5: Embargo and Politics, 1807–1812
Chapter 6: I Would Spend All My Wealth, 1812–-1815
Chapter 7: New Horizons, 1815–1821
Chapter 8: Final Years of an Industrialist, 1821–1832
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

In this well researched and finely written biography, Kistner deconstructs the image of Israel Thorndike as the Scrooge-like tight fisted Yankee wedded to Federalist ideology. Instead, we meet a person who rises from nothing to become one of the nation’s wealthiest men. Along the way he makes his share of enemies and mistakes but through the prism of Thorndike’s extraordinary life we get a clear view of the fierce battles that shaped the economy and politics of American Republic in its early days while at the same time catching a glimpse into the family social life of New England’s elite.

William M. Fowler Jr.

In this detailed biography of Massachusetts entrepreneur Israel Thorndike, Timothy H. Kistner.. . .expertly and judiciously fills in the missing details based on careful research.. . .[The book] provides the general reader with an informative, enjoyable narrative account of several critical business and political events of the period.

New England Quarterly

With brisk pacing and a fine sense of the broader American narrative, Kistner gives us a full and rich biography of a man who was arguably the most successful entrepreneur in early New England. Kistner casts Israel Thorndike as a peerless businessman and a significant Federalist politician, with a range of ventures that included privateering, an extensive overseas trade network, internal improvements, and textile manufacturing.

Benjamin L. Carp

In this well researched and finely written biography, Kistner deconstructs the image of Israel Thorndike as the Scrooge-like tight fisted Yankee wedded to Federalist ideology. Instead, we meet a person who rises from nothing to become one of the nation’s wealthiest men. Along the way he makes his share of enemies and mistakes but through the prism of Thorndike’s extraordinary life we get a clear view of the fierce battles that shaped the economy and politics of American Republic in its early days while at the same time catching a glimpse into the family social life of New England’s elite.

William M. Fowler

In this detailed biography of Massachusetts entrepreneur Israel Thorndike, Timothy H. Kistner. . . .expertly and judiciously fills in the missing details based on careful research. . . .[The book] provides the general reader with an informative, enjoyable narrative account of several critical business and political events of the period.

The New England Quarterly