Preceded by William Hunter |
James DeWolf US Senator (Class 1) from Rhode Island1821—1825 |
Succeeded by Asher Robbins |
James DeWolf (March 18, 1764 – December 21, 1837), was a slave trader and a privateer during the War of 1812, and a state and national politician.
Over fifty years and three generations, from 1769 to 1820, James DeWolf and his extended family brought approximately 12,000 enslaved Africans across the Middle Passage, making the DeWolf family one of the United States' most successful slave-trading family. DeWolf slave ships brought the enslaved from the west coast of Africa to auction blocks in Charleston, South Carolina and other southern U.S. ports; to Havana, Cuba and to other ports in the Caribbean; to their own sugar plantations in Cuba; and into their own homes. James DeWolf owned a rum distillery, and he and his family started both a bank and an insurance company, all to profit even further from the slave trade. They even sent a family member to establish an auction house in Charleston, S.C., where many of their slaving voyages ended up.
In the 1790s and early 1800s, DeWolf and his brothers virtually built the economy of Bristol, Rhode Island: many of the buildings they funded still stand, and the stained glass windows at St. Michael's Episcopal Church bear DeWolf names to this day. Across the generations, their family has included state legislators, philanthropists, writers, scholars, and Episcopal bishops and priests.
James DeWolf gained notoriety in 1791 when indicted for murdering a female slave said to have smallpox, whom he said threatened the lives of all of the other slaves and crew because of the disease. The case was ultimately dismissed and was considered justifiable under contemporary law. During his lifetime, his name was usually written 'James D'Wolf'.
The DeWolf family continued in the slave trade despite state and federal laws prohibiting many of their activities in the late 1700s. Their efforts to circumvent those laws eventually lead them to arrange a political favor with President Thomas Jefferson, who agreed to split the federal customs district based in Newport, R.I. This maneuver permitted the appointment of a customs inspector just for Bristol, and the choice was Charles Collins, the brother-in-law of James DeWolf, who conveniently ignored the slave ships moving in and out of harbor.
James DeWolf served as a long-time state legislator for several periods, for a total of nearly 25 years, and in the 1820s as a United States senator from Rhode Island for much of a term. Together with the slave trade, DeWolf invested in sugar and coffee plantations in Cuba and became the wealthiest man in his state; by the end of his life, he was said to be the second-richest person in the entire United States. [1]
After the War of 1812 ended, DeWolf entered politics as a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, rising to become the Speaker of the House from 1819 to 1821. He eventually ran for the U.S. Senate and served from 1821 to 1825, when he resigned and returned to Rhode Island and their state legislature.[3][4]
James DeWolf was buried in the DeWolf family cemetery, aka Mark Anthony DeWolf Lot, also known as Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Bristol #5, Woodlawn Avenue, Bristol, Bristol County, Rhode Island,
James DeWolf (1764-1837) is a recent addition to the DAR patriot records. He is noted as having served as a private for Rhode Island during the American Revolution. [5]Thank you to Marie Chantigny for creating DeWolf-196 on 18 Oct 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by Marie and others.
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