Samuel Rowland Fisher

Samuel Rowland Fisher (November 6, 1745 – May 6, 1834) was a prominent Philadelphia merchant involved in trade. He owned a large shipping line that ran between London and Philadelphia, but was exiled and imprisoned during the Revolutionary War because of his Quaker beliefs.

Fisher was born in Lewes, Delaware, into a Quaker family with historic roots, growing up in Philadelphia. His father, Joshua Fisher, was the grandson of John Fisher who came to America aboard the Welcome with William Penn. His mother, Sarah Rowland, was the granddaughter of Mary Harworth, an eloquent Friends minister who had also arrived on the Welcome. Fisher's father Joshua moved the family to Philadelphia in 1746 and established a home and large mercantile business at 110 S Front St., soon after starting the first packet line of ships to sail regularly between Philadelphia and London. Fisher's father also purchased a country estate north of the city overlooking the Schuylkill River from the east, and built a house there in 1753 called "The Cliffs".

When Fisher and his four brothers came of age, their father named the business "Joshua Fisher & Sons" (1762–1783), and engaged the brothers in all aspects of it. Customers were able to order items such as porcelain, silverware, brass pulls for dressers, and every other imaginable type of merchandise from a detailed catalog. The business prospered because customers could receive reasonably priced goods within weeks. Fisher eventually took over most of the business from his father and brothers, continuing for the rest of his life to run the packet line to London. He traveled widely in America and England (1767-8) and made notes on the manufacture of textile, glassware, and ceramic items for inclusion in the catalog.

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