Jonathan Bourne Jr. (1811—1889) was a whaling agent and merchant who lived and worked in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Biography
He was the tenth of eleven children and was raised on a farm in Sandwich, Massachusetts. When he was seventeen, he moved to New Bedford and entered the grocery business.[1][2]: 45 By the time he was 24, he had married into the Nye-Howland family and had started investing in whaling ships.[2]: 45
Business ventures
In 1841, he purchased the Lagoda, a merchant vessel he converted to a whaling ship.[2]: 45 The Lagoda became the most lucrative whaling ship in New Bedford's history.[2]: 45 Bourne would serve as agent for 24 vessels and own stock in 22 more.[2]: 45
He also invested in the Gosnold Mill, Hathaway Mill, Bourne Mill, and Acushnet Mill.[2]: 45 He also directed the Union Street Railway Company, the Western Railroad, and the New Bedford, Vineyard, and Nantucket Steamboat Company.[2]: 45
Civic engagement
He was instrumental in the election of Abraham Lincoln.[2]: 45 He helped West Sandwich achieve township, and that town was named Bourne after him.[2]: 45
References
- ^ "MSS 18: Jonathan Bourne Jr. Business Records, 1836-1899 - New Bedford Whaling Museum". www.whalingmuseum.org. 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Museum, New Bedford Whaling (2015). Treasures of the Whaling Museum: Touchstone to the Region's Past. Old Dartmouth Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-9845534-6-4.