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Preserved Fish

Preserved Fish (July 3, 1766 – July 23, 1846) was an American shipping merchant, whaling captain, and financier who rose to prominence in early 19th-century New York City through trade in whale oil and mercantile ventures.^[1] Born in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, to Isaac Fish and Ruth Grinnell, he began his career at sea as a young whaler before transitioning to commerce in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where political differences prompted his relocation to New York.^[2] There, he co-founded the shipping firm Fish & Grinnell in 1815, which specialized in transatlantic trade and contributed to his accumulation of a $300,000 fortune by the time of his death.^[1] Fish played a pivotal role in the development of American finance as one of the 28 original brokers who established the New York Stock & Exchange Board in 1817, the precursor to the modern New York Stock Exchange.^[1] After retiring from active shipping, he served as president of the Tradesmen's Bank from 1829 until 1846, further solidifying his influence in banking circles.^[2] Politically, he aligned with the Democratic Party and Tammany Hall, collaborating with figures like Gideon Lee to shape New York City's Democratic machinery in the late 1830s, and he acted as a presidential elector for New York in the 1832 election supporting Andrew Jackson.^[3] Fish married three times—first to Abigail Clark, then Mary Gerrish, and finally Mary Shepherd—but had no surviving biological children, adopting William Middleton Fish who predeceased him.^[1] He died in New York City and was interred in the New York Marble Cemetery, leaving a legacy tied to the foundational eras of American maritime commerce and stock trading.^[4]

Early Life

Birth and Family Origins

Preserved Fish was born on July 14, 1766, in Portsmouth, Newport County, Rhode Island, to Isaac Fish, a blacksmith born around 1744, and Ruth Grinnell, born around the same year and died in 1823.^[5]^[6] The couple's modest circumstances reflected the working-class roots of many colonial families in the region, with Isaac's trade providing essential support in a community reliant on agriculture and emerging maritime pursuits.^[2] The Fish family traced its American origins to Thomas Fish, an early settler who arrived in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, by the mid-17th century from England, establishing a lineage noted for the unusual given name "Preserved," first appearing with a forebear born in 1679.^[7] Ruth Grinnell's kinship connected to the prominent Grinnell clan of Rhode Island and Nantucket, known for Quaker ties and involvement in shipping and whaling, which later influenced Fish's career path.^[8] These familial networks, rooted in Protestant nonconformist communities, emphasized self-reliance and trade, shaping the environment in which Fish grew up amid the ports of Narragansett Bay.^[1]

Initial Education and Upbringing

Preserved Fish was born in 1766 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, to Isaac Fish, a local blacksmith, and Ruth Grinnell Fish.^[1]^[7] His family descended from early New England settlers with Quaker roots, though Fish's upbringing occurred in modest circumstances typical of working-class households in colonial Rhode Island.^[7] His mother died during his youth, leaving him primarily under his father's influence, where he assisted in the blacksmith trade from an early age.^[8] Fish received no formal education, a common absence among children of artisans in 18th-century rural New England, and later demonstrated limited proficiency in bookkeeping.^[8] At around age 14, he was apprenticed to a farmer, but found the work unappealing and soon absconded from the arrangement.^[1]^[8] This restless phase marked the end of his terrestrial upbringing, as he promptly sought employment at sea, beginning as a cabin boy on a whaling vessel bound for the Pacific.^[1] His early years reflected a pattern of practical, hands-on learning through family labor and brief apprenticeships rather than scholarly pursuits.

Maritime and Business Beginnings

Entry into Whaling Industry

Preserved Fish, born in 1766 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, entered the whaling industry during his youth by shipping out on vessels targeting sperm whales in the Pacific Ocean, a burgeoning frontier for American whalemen seeking high-value oil and ambergris.^[1]^[9] At approximately age 20 or 21, around 1786–1787, he advanced from crew or junior officer roles to commanding his own whaler, a rapid ascent reflecting the demand for skilled mariners amid the post-Revolutionary expansion of New England whaling ports like New Bedford, Massachusetts.^[1] These early commands involved multi-year voyages, during which captains like Fish directed hunts using tryworks for onboard rendering of blubber into barrelled oil, a process yielding profits from cargoes valued at thousands of dollars per successful return, depending on whale yields and market prices fluctuating around $20–$30 per barrel for sperm oil in the late 1780s.^[8] Fish's entry coincided with the American whaling industry's shift from coastal right whaling to deep-sea sperm whaling, enabled by innovations like the dorsal fin harpoon and improved ship designs for extended pursuits.^[10] Operating from ports such as New Bedford, where whaling infrastructure was developing with try shops and cooperages, he gained firsthand expertise in navigating equatorial grounds off South America and the Galápagos, where pods of sperm whales migrated.^[1] Crews under such captains typically numbered 25–35 men, facing risks including gales, mutinies, and whale strikes that could stove in boats, yet Fish accumulated personal savings from oil shares—often 1/8 to 1/12 of voyage profits—sufficient to fund his later mercantile pivot by the early 1800s.^[9] This phase honed Fish's understanding that greater fortunes accrued to onshore merchants handling oil refinement and sales rather than sea-based extraction, prompting his eventual exit from active captaining around 1810 after several profitable Pacific returns.^[1] His early whaling tenure thus bridged the labor-intensive hunting era with the commercial scaling that propelled New Bedford to process over 10,000 barrels annually by the 1810s.^[10]

Operations in New Bedford

Preserved Fish established operations in New Bedford, Massachusetts, as a merchant following his career as a whaling captain, focusing on the burgeoning whale oil trade that dominated the port's economy in the early 19th century. He acquired partial ownership in whaling vessels, including a documented bill of sale for a three-eighths share of a ship in partnership with fellow trader Robert Stillman, reflecting his investment in the local fleet amid New Bedford's rise as a leading whaling center.^[11] His activities centered on processing and distributing whale-derived products, capitalizing on the demand for oil used in lighting and lubrication.^[12] In collaboration with his cousin Joseph Grinnell, Fish managed the oil and candle business for New Bedford whalers, handling outbound shipments and refining operations that supported the industry's expansion post-War of 1812.^[12] This partnership, initiated around 1815, initially served local merchants by aggregating and marketing spermaceti oil and other byproducts, contributing to Fish's accumulation of wealth in a city where whaling voyages routinely yielded profits from Pacific hunts.^[13] Their firm processed cargoes from ships returning with hundreds of barrels of oil, underscoring Fish's role in the supply chain that made New Bedford the world's premier whaling port by the 1820s.^[14] Fish's ventures in New Bedford exemplified the transition from seafaring to entrepreneurial ownership in the whale fishery, where merchants like him financed outfits, insured risks, and traded commodities amid volatile markets influenced by global demand and naval conflicts.^[15] By leveraging Quaker networks and port infrastructure, he built a foundation for later interstate shipping, though political disagreements prompted his eventual relocation to New York around 1819.^[2]

Later Career and Relocation

Transition to New York Shipping

Following his establishment as a shipping merchant in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he partnered with Cornelius Grinnell in 1810 to form Fish & Grinnell focused on whale oil and related trade, Preserved Fish relocated to New York City around 1815.^[16]^[7] This move shifted his operations from the whaling-centric economy of New Bedford to the burgeoning commercial hub of New York, reportedly prompted by a political disagreement with local figures in Massachusetts.^[2] In New York, Fish partnered with Joseph Grinnell to establish the firm Fish & Grinnell on South Street in Manhattan, specializing in transatlantic shipping.^[7]^[16] The company operated a Liverpool packet line, deploying vessels ranging from 340 to 380 tons to facilitate regular mail and cargo services across the Atlantic.^[8] Leveraging his maritime experience and business acumen, Fish expanded the firm's reach, handling commission sales of whale products and general merchandise, which contributed to its rapid growth into one of the city's prominent shipping enterprises by the early 1820s.^[7]^[12] Fish also assumed the role of New York Harbor Master, a position that allowed him to influence port operations and enforce maritime regulations, further integrating his expertise into the local shipping infrastructure.^[8] This transition solidified his status as a key figure in New York's mercantile community, transitioning from regional whaling trade to international shipping dominance. The firm later evolved into Grinnell, Minturn & Co., reflecting sustained success in the sector.^[12]

Role in Finance and Trade

In the early 1820s, following his relocation to New York City, Preserved Fish expanded his mercantile operations beyond whaling products into broader shipping and brokerage activities, capitalizing on the city's growing role as a transatlantic trade hub. He initially focused on importing and distributing whale oil, a key commodity derived from his prior experience in New Bedford, which fueled New York's lighting and industrial needs during the antebellum period.^[17] This trade positioned him as a pivotal figure in supplying essential goods to urban markets, with his ventures generating substantial revenue amid rising demand for spermaceti oil.^[2] Fish's entry into finance began around 1817, when he joined as one of the founding brokers of the New York Stock & Exchange Board, an informal association of 28 merchants that formalized outdoor trading under a buttonwood tree and laid the groundwork for the modern New York Stock Exchange.^[18] His brokerage activities involved dealing in securities, commodities, and shipping-related investments, reflecting the era's integration of maritime trade with emerging capital markets. By the mid-1820s, he had diversified further, serving as a director and later president of the Tradesman's Bank of New York from approximately 1829 until his death in 1846, where he oversaw operations for a institution chartered in 1823 to support mercantile lending.^[7] He also held a directorship at the Bank of America, another early financial entity founded in 1812 to finance trade and infrastructure.^[1] In 1826, Fish launched the Swallowtail Line, a packet ship service operating regular sailings between New York and Liverpool, which enhanced transatlantic commerce by providing reliable transport for passengers, mail, and goods such as cotton exports and European imports. This initiative exemplified the shift toward scheduled packet services that reduced uncertainties in trade timing and bolstered New York's competitive edge over rival ports like Philadelphia. His combined shipping and financial roles amassed a personal fortune estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars by the 1830s, underscoring his influence in channeling maritime profits into banking capital.^[9] Fish's activities thus contributed to the institutionalization of New York's financial infrastructure, bridging whaling-era trade networks with the speculative finance of the Jacksonian era, though his eccentric reputation occasionally drew scrutiny from more established Wall Street circles.^[2]

Political Engagement

Local Political Activities

Preserved Fish participated in local political discourse in New Bedford, Massachusetts, as a proponent of the Federalist Party during its waning influence in the post-War of 1812 era. In correspondence with local Quaker figure Friend Hawes, Fish expressed strong objections to Hawes's opposition to Federalist principles, defending the party in multiple letters characterized by firm advocacy tempered with personal amicability.^[19] These engagements reflected broader tensions among New Bedford's merchant class, where Federalist loyalties clashed with rising Democratic-Republican sentiments. Fish's political positions ultimately led to a dispute with local authorities, prompting him to sell his property at undervalued prices and depart for New York City by the early 1820s.^[20]^[2]

National Electoral Involvement

Preserved Fish's national electoral involvement centered on his role in the 1832 United States presidential election, where he served as one of New York's 42 presidential electors pledged to the Democratic ticket of Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren.^[1] Elected on November 6, 1832, amid a contest marked by Jackson's strong incumbency advantage and opposition from National Republicans led by Henry Clay, Fish's position aligned with his Democratic affiliations and influence within Tammany Hall, the powerful New York City political machine that mobilized support for Jacksonian policies favoring expanded suffrage and opposition to the Second Bank of the United States.^[1] ^[21] As an elector, Fish participated in the New York Electoral College vote on December 3, 1832, unanimously casting his ballot for Jackson, who secured 219 electoral votes nationwide to Clay's 49, ensuring Jackson's reelection.^[1] This service underscored Fish's transition from maritime commerce to political influence, leveraging his merchant networks to bolster Democratic turnout in a state pivotal to national outcomes, though no further national candidacies or offices are recorded for him.^[1] His elector role, while honorary in nature for prominent citizens, contributed to the era's party-building efforts amid rising voter participation, with New York's popular vote exceeding 200,000 ballots.^[1]

Personal Life and Death

Family and Relationships

Preserved Fish was born on July 14, 1766, in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, to Isaac Fish and Ruth Grinnell Fish.^[8]^[2] He had at least two siblings: brother David Fish and sister Ruth Fish, the latter of whom married an Austin and resided in Ohio or Vermont, where sisters in the family inherited farms.^[8] Fish married three times, with no biological children surviving infancy from any union.^[2] His first wife, Abigail Clark, wed him in 1788; she died in 1791 during childbirth in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and the infant did not survive.^[1] He remarried Mary "Polly" Gerrish in 1793; she died in New York City in 1839.^[8]^[2] His third wife, Mary Shepard (also recorded as Shepherd or Pease), married him four months after Gerrish's death and outlived him, dying in 1862.^[8]^[2]^[1] In the absence of heirs, Fish adopted William Middleton Fish (1812–1840), reportedly spoiling him excessively, which contemporaries attributed to the young man's eventual disgrace and early death.^[2]^[8] William fathered a son who inherited Fish's estate upon reaching age 21, conditional on renouncing his mother.^[2]

Later Years and Burial

In his later years, Preserved Fish continued to reside in New York City, where he maintained his role as president of the Tradesman's Bank, a position he had held since retiring from active shipping and mercantile pursuits.^[1] ^[14] This leadership extended until his death, reflecting his enduring influence in the city's financial sector amid the economic expansions of the early 1840s.^[2] His personal estate at the time of death was estimated at $300,000, indicative of the substantial wealth accumulated from decades in whaling, trade, and banking.^[2] Fish died on July 23, 1846, at the age of 80 in New York City.^[4] ^[1] He was buried in vault 75 of the New York City Marble Cemetery in the East Village, a site reserved for prominent merchants and reflecting the era's urban burial practices for the elite.^[16] ^[4] His third wife, Mary Shepard Fish, was interred alongside him in the same vault.^[22]

Legacy and Historical Assessment

Contributions to American Commerce

Preserved Fish played a significant role in early 19th-century American maritime trade through his leadership in the shipping firm Fish & Grinnell, established in 1815 with his cousin Joseph Grinnell in New York City. The firm specialized in whale oil and general shipping, capitalizing on New Bedford's whaling industry to facilitate exports and imports, which bolstered the U.S. economy's reliance on oceanic commerce during the post-War of 1812 expansion.^[7]^[2] By 1825, when Fish retired from active management, the company had evolved into Grinnell, Minturn & Company, a major player in transatlantic and Pacific trade routes, underscoring his foundational influence on New York's mercantile networks.^[23] Fish's involvement in financial institutions further advanced American commerce by stabilizing credit and investment mechanisms essential for trade. In 1817, he joined 27 other brokers to found the New York Stock & Exchange Board—predecessor to the modern New York Stock Exchange—enabling organized trading of securities that supported shipping ventures and infrastructure projects.^[1] Later, as president of the Tradesman's Bank of New York from the early 1830s until his death in 1846, Fish directed operations that provided loans to merchants and underwrote commercial risks, contributing to the city's emergence as a financial hub.^[7]^[2] His estate, valued at $300,000 upon his death on July 23, 1846, reflected the personal wealth generated from these endeavors, which paralleled broader economic growth in shipping and banking sectors.^[2] These activities positioned Fish as a bridge between New England's whaling economy and New York's financial markets, promoting capital flows that sustained American export-driven commerce amid global competition.^[24] His efforts aligned with the era's causal drivers of economic development, including technological advances in whaling and the institutionalization of stock trading, without reliance on government subsidies or monopolies.^[1]

Modern Perceptions and Name Recognition

Preserved Fish remains a relatively obscure figure in contemporary historical discourse, primarily recognized within niche communities focused on early American maritime trade and New York commerce rather than broader public awareness. His contributions to shipping and finance, while notable in the early 19th century, have not translated into significant modern scholarly or cultural prominence, with analyses often framing him as a "semi-important" participant in the era's economic expansion rather than a transformative innovator.^[9] The unusual nature of his given name—"Preserved," an archaic Puritan appellation pronounced with three syllables and evoking biblical themes of divine preservation—has arguably sustained greater name recognition than his professional record. This quirk frequently draws mentions in trivia compilations, etymological discussions, and anecdotal histories of eccentric nomenclature, as highlighted in mid-20th-century periodicals and early 21st-century queries about historical oddities.^[15]^[20] For instance, Fish appears in lists of notable figures from Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and casual online forums exploring genealogy or whimsical biographies, underscoring how his moniker overshadows substantive legacy.^[25]^[26] Overall, public and academic engagement with Fish today is sporadic and context-driven, confined to specialized works on whaling partnerships or Knickerbocker-era New York myths, where he exemplifies the era's mercantile elite without eliciting widespread reevaluation or commemoration. No major institutions, monuments, or endowments bear his name, reflecting limited enduring impact beyond archival interest in primary sources like shipping records.^[27]^[28]

References

[1]
Preserved Fish (1766-1846)
Jul 21, 2011 · Preserved Fish was a leading financier and merchant in New York City who earns placement here on the site due to his service as a Democratic presidential ...Missing: biography | Show results with:biography
[2]
Preserved Fish (1766-1846) - American Aristocracy
He was one of the original 28 stockbrokers who founded the New York Stock Exchange and after retiring from Fish & Grinnell, he was President of the Tradesman's ...
[3]
https://books.google.com/books?id=ej5wB9-S_gwC&pg=PA388
[4]
Preserved Fish (1766-1846) - Memorials - Find a Grave
Well-known New York merchant in mercantile and shipping ventures.
[5]
Preserved Fish (1766–1846) • FamilySearch
He married Abigail Clark in November 1788. He lived in Rhode Island, Contra Costa, California, United States in 1766. He died on 22 July 1846, in Portsmouth, ...Missing: biography | Show results with:biography
[6]
Preserved FISH - RootsWeb
Preserved FISH. Birth, 14 Jul 1766, Portsmouth RI. Death, 1846. Father, Isaac FISH (1727-). Mother, Ruth GRINNELL \ GREENHILL. Spouses. 1, Sarah. Children ...<|separator|>
[7]
Tombstone Tuesday: Preserved Fish - Digging History
Jul 28, 2015 · According to Rhode Island records, this Preserved Fish was born on July 14, 1766 to parents Isaac and Ruth Fish. The Fish genealogical record ...<|separator|>
[8]
Captain Preserved Fish (1766 - 1846) - Genealogy - Geni
Sep 12, 2023 · This singular man, and distinguished merchant, was born in the village of Portsmouth, in Rhode Island, on the third day of July, in the year ...
[9]
Preserved Fish: a Semi-important Historical Figure With a Fun Name
Dec 11, 2022 · But the member of the Fish family with the best name of all is Preserved Fish, a New York businessman who lived between 1766 and 1846. If ...Missing: biography | Show results with:biography
[10]
Yankee Whaling - New Bedford Whaling Museum
Learn the early beginnings of North American whaling through to the Great Age of Yankee Whaling. Get a sense of the challenges and changes that spelled the.Missing: Preserved | Show results with:Preserved
[11]
MSS 150: Grinnell Family Papers, 1807-1935
Included in bills and receipts is a bill of sale for three-eighths ownership of a ship to prominent New Bedford traders Preserved Fish and Robert Stillman.
[12]
MSS 50: Grinnell Family Papers, 1799-1892 - New Bedford Whaling ...
... Fish & Grinnell, in New York City, N.Y., in partnership with Preserved Fish (1766-1846). Initially concerned with handling the oil and candle business of ...Missing: entry industry
[13]
NN | Preserved Fish - Neptune's Needle
...the son of a blacksmith in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, rose to command of a whaleship before settling ashore as a whale oil merchant in New Bedford, ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[14]
The Ballad of Preserved Fish - Old Salt Blog
Jun 28, 2015 · When he came ashore, he became a successful merchant in first New Bedford and then New York City. He founded the shipping firm, Fish & Grinnell.Missing: politician | Show results with:politician
[15]
F.Y.I. - The New York Times
May 7, 2000 · Born in Portsmouth, R.I., in 1766, Preserved Fish worked as a merchant and a whaling captain out of New Bedford, Mass., before moving to New ...
[16]
Found: Preserved Fish (the Man) in the NYC Marble Cemetery
Jul 18, 2019 · According to a folk story, Preserved Fish got his unusual name from a New Bedford fisherman who found him as an infant, floating in the wreckage ...Missing: biography | Show results with:biography
[17]
Yankee Domination of New York Port, 1820-1865 - jstor
Preserved Fish, an eccentric New Bedford whaling captain, decided that selling whale oil was more prof able than gathering it, so he moved to New York an in ...
[18]
[PDF] MS. 161: Charter Party Document for Schooner Harmony, 1818
The ship's owners,. Preserved Fish and Joseph Grinnell, were entering into the charter party with merchants Wm. (William) Terrill and John W. Kearney for a ...
[19]
Old Dartmouth Historical Sketch No. 22 - New Bedford Whaling ...
Being the proceedings of the Meeting of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society, Water Street, New Bedford, Massachusetts, on September 29, 1908 ... Preserved Fish, ...
[20]
Letters, Oct. 26, 1931 - Time Magazine
12 TIME I see tale of two banks and one Preserved Fish who was President of Bank of America in 1812. ... Tradesman's Bank. Of other Preserved Fishes TIME ...
[21]
the history of tammany hall - Project Gutenberg
Gideon Lee,[16] a Wall Street banker, called the meeting to order and nominated Preserved Fish for chairman. ... Presidential election would carry them in on the ...
[22]
What's in a name: the tale(s) of preserved fish - part 1 - Facebook
Nov 6, 2022 · Preserved Fish was the child of Elizaer Gedney, Jr (1666 – 1722) and Mary Ann (Nee Mott 1670 – 1722) both of whom were lost in the Hudson River ...This prominent early ninteenth-century New - FacebookHistorical Fish Merchant in Wynberg, 1922 - FacebookMore results from www.facebook.com
[23]
https://whalingmuseum.org/research/research-resources/manuscripts/mss-50/
[24]
The Ballad of Preserved Fish
### Summary of Preserved Fish's Mercantile Career, Shipping Firm, and Contributions to Trade
[25]
Famous People From Portsmouth - Ranker
Preserved Fish (July 3, 1766 – July 23, 1846) was a prominent New York City shipping merchant in the early 19th century. He was also an early broker of the New ...
[26]
Preserved Fish? That's Mr. Preserved Fish to you! : r/Genealogy
Jul 31, 2018 · 40 votes, 25 comments. Your new state rep from Ira, Vermont in 1806 is Preserved Fish! The Post Boy, Windsor, VT 28 Oct 1806.
[27]
Knickerbocker: The Myth behind New York 9780813548623
Preserved Fish was indeed the given name of an actual shipping magnate (1766–1846), but the Fish family had been prominent in New York since before the ...
[28]
[PDF] A GENERAL CHRONOLOGY OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD ...
Former New Bedford whaling captain Preserved Fish (1766-1846) and his cousin Joseph Grinnell (1788-1885) form a mercantile partnership at New. York to deal ...