William Wheelwright
| William Wheelwright | |
|---|---|
William Wheelwright
|
|
| Born |
March 18, 1798 Merrimac, Massachusetts, USA |
| Died | September 26, 1873 (aged 75) London, England, United Kingdom |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Steamboats and trains in Chile |
William Wheelwright (March 18, 1798 – September 26, 1873) was a businessman who played an essential role in the development of steamboat and train transportation in Chile and other parts of South America. In 1838, with help from the Chilean government, he founded the Pacific Steam Navigation Company which commenced operations on October 15, 1840 and provided commercial sea access to cities such as Valparaíso and El Callao.
William Wheelwright, son of Ebenezer and Anna (Coombs) Wheelwright, was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on March 16, 1798. Wheelwright lived in a house on High Street and attended public school until he was about twelve years of age, when he was sent to Andover Academy, where he completed his education.
Wheelwright's father was a shipmaster in early life, William soon manifested a desire to pursue the same vocation. He shipped as cabin boy on board a vessel bound to the West Indies and during the next two or three years he rose rapidly to the rank of captain in 1817, when he was only nineteen years of age.
In 1823, he was in command of the ship Rising Empire, owned by William Bartlett, when the vessel was wrecked off the coast of South America, near the mouth of the Río de La Plata. The captain and crew reached shore in safety after twenty-four hours' exposure in an open boat. One man was lost.
On his arrival at Buenos Aires, Wheelwright obtained a position as supercargo of a vessel about to sail for Valparaiso. The voyage took four or five months to complete using the route around Cape Horn. Interested in studying the business opportunities on the west coast of South America, he traveled to Guayaquil, the seaport of Ecuador, where he decided to remain. In 1825, he was appointed United States consul at that port. Three years later, he left his business in the hands of his partner and returned to his home in Newburyport via the Isthmus of Panama. He had been absent six years.
...
Wikipedia