Philip Greely Jr.

Philip Greely Jr. (November 1, 1809 – March 15, 1854) was an American merchant who served as Collector of Customs for the Port of Boston from 1849 to 1853.

Early life

Greeley was born on November 1, 1809, in Portland, Maine. His parents were Philip Greely Sr. and Dorcas (Blanchard) Greely.[1] On November 26, 1833, he married Sarah Tyler, daughter of Dartmouth College president Bennet Tyler.[1][2]

Business career

Greely was a partner of the firm Greely and Guild with George F. Guild. The firm was heavily involved in the West Indies trade. The firm imported a large quantity of molasses and in 1845 opened a sugar house in Portland, Maine with Greely's brother-in-law John Bundy Brown.[3] They also co-owned a wire factory, annealing house, and sawmill in Harrison, Maine.[4] The firm failed and left behind a number of debts.[5]

Politics

Greely served as secretary to the Whig Central Committee and was an was a member of the executive committee of the Boston chapter of the American Union for the Relief and Improvement of the Colored Race.[6] In 1837, 1840, and 1848 he was a member of the Boston Common Council from Ward 5.[7] He was also a member of the Boston citizen's committee that raised funds for the people of Fall River, Massachusetts following the Great Fire of 1843 and was on the board of managers of the Massachusetts Sabbath School Society from 1842 until his death.[8][9]

In 1849, president Zachary Taylor appointed Greely Collector of Customs for the Port of Boston. Daniel Webster attempted to persuade Taylor's successor, Millard Fillmore, to withdraw Greely's nomination, citing the unpaid debts from his failed business. Webster wrote that Greely "did not possess the proper weight of general character & reputation" and should have never been appointed.[5] Fillmore did not withdraw Greely's nomination and he was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 25, 1850.[10] Greely assured Fillmore that he would support his administration, however he instead backed Winfield Scott for the Whig nomination for president in 1852. Greely helped turn the Massachusetts and Maine delegates to Scott, which secured the nomination for him.[11] He resigned following the inauguration of Fillmore's Democratic successor, Franklin Pierce.[12]

The following year, Greely contracted yellow fever while on business in Havana. He died there on March 15, 1854.[1][9][13]

References
  1. Tyler, Calvin Cedric (1976). The Tyler Genealogy.
  2. Gale, Nahum (1860). A Memoir of Rev. Bennet Tyler. Boston: J. E. Tilton and Company. p. 97. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  3. Willis, William (1865). The History of Portland, from 1632 to 1864. Portland, Maine: Bailey & Noyes. p. 781. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  4. Churchill, Edwin A. (1985). "Crafts in Transition: A Case Study of Two Portland Silversmiths in the Early Nineteen Century". Maine History: 327. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  5. Van Tyne, C. H., ed. (1902). The Letters of Daniel Webster. New York: McClure, Phillips & Co. p. 430. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  6. "Prejudice Against Color". The Boston Recorder. June 26, 1835.
  7. Municipal Register. Boston: City Printer. 1850. pp. 225, 228, 236. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  8. "Meeting for the Relief of Fall River". Christian Register and Boston Observer. July 15, 1843.
  9. Annual Report of the Massachusetts Sabbath School Society. Boston: Massachusetts Sabbath School Society. 1855. p. 5. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  10. Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1887. pp. 249–250. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  11. Rayback, Robert J. (2015). Millard Fillmore: Biography Of A President. Golden Springs Publishing.
  12. "Appointments by the President". New York Observer and Chronicle. March 24, 1853.
  13. "Massachusetts Obituary, 1854". The Massachusetts Register for the Year 1855. Boston: George Adams: 322. 1855. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
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