Perkins, Thomas Handasyd, 1764-1854

Staff Only

Dates

Existence: 1764 - 1854

Biography

Colonel Thomas Handasyd Perkins, or T. H. Perkins (December 15, 1764 – January 11, 1854), was a wealthy Boston merchant and an archetypical Boston Brahmin. Starting with bequests from his grandfather and father-in-law, he amassed a huge fortune. As a young man, he was a slave trader in Haiti, a maritime Fur Trader, trading furs from the American Northwest to China, and then a major smuggler of Turkish opium into China. His philanthropic contributions include Perkins School for the Blind, renamed in his honor; the Boston Museum of Fine Arts; McLean Hospital; along with having a hand in founding the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Thomas Handasyd Perkins letter

Collection

Identifier: Mss 828201.1

Webster Mss 828201.1

Date(s): 1828-03-01

Abstract

In English.