Oakes Ames
| Oakes Ames | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 2nd district |
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In office March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1873 |
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| Preceded by | James Buffington |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin W. Harris |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 10, 1804 Easton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | May 8, 1873 (aged 69) Easton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Evelina Orville Gilmore Ames |
| Children |
Oakes Angier Ames, Oliver Ames |
| Parents |
Oliver Ames, Sr., Susannah Angier |
| Relatives | Oliver Ames, Jr., brother |
| Profession | Politician, Manufacturer |
| Signature |  |
Oakes Ames (January 10, 1804 – May 8, 1873) was an American manufacturer, capitalist, and member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts. As a congressman, he is credited by many historians as being the single most important influence in the building of the Union Pacific portion of the transcontinental railroad. He is also noted for the subsequent scandal that alleged the improper sale of stock of the railroad's construction company.
Ames was born in Easton, Massachusetts, the son of Oliver Ames, Sr., a blacksmith who had built a business of making shovels, the Ames Shovel Shop, and became nicknamed "King of Spades". In his youth, he obtained a public school education and later worked in the family workshops to learn each step of the manufacturing process. He eventually became a partner in the business, and with his brother Oliver Ames, Jr. he established the firm Oliver Ames & Sons. Driven by the settlement of the Midwest, by the discovery of gold in California and Australia, as well as by railroad construction, the shovel manufacturing business boomed. During the Civil War, the firm prospered with contracts for swords, shovels, and other tools and implements. Ames made a large fortune.
He was influential in the establishment of the Republican Party in Massachusetts. In 1860, he became a member of the executive council of Massachusetts, and from 1863 to 1873 he served as a U.S. Congressman from the Second District of Massachusetts. In Congress, he became a member of the Committee on Railroads during the early building of the transcontinental railroad. In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln appealed to him to take control of the Union Pacific (UP) portion of the project, which had become mired down because of the war, and had built only 12 miles (19 km) of track.
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