Samuel Hart (merchant)

Samuel Hart (1747 – October 3, 1810) was an American merchant and politician. Born in England to Jewish parents, he moved to Philadelphia, and later to Nova Scotia where he ran an import/export business.^[1] It is here that he met Joseph "Weasel" Thomas, a highwayman,^[2] who at the time was working as a carpenter, mostly producing tables and chairs out of the local Eastern White Pine. He was elected to the 7th General Assembly of Nova Scotia for the years 1793–1799, representing Liverpool Township.^[3] When in 1798 Samuel's brother Moses Hart, working as a merchant in London, declared bankruptcy, the import/export business came under threat since Samuel had acted as a guarantor on some of his brother's debt obligations.^[1] This financial pressure led Samuel to become a fence, using his export network to move valuables that Weasel had stolen during his robberies.^[2]

This partnership was very successful, and by 1801 Samuel was fiscally stable enough that he had paid off all the mortgages on his properties in Nova Scotia.^[1]

In 1809 he was declared legally insane and died, chained to the floor in his property, a year later.^[1]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Sutherland, D.A. (1983). "Samuel Hart". Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. V. Toronto. ISBN 0-8020-3351-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ ^a ^b McGrath, R.D. (1984). "In Illegal Pursuit of Wealth". Gunfighters, Highwaymen and Vigilantes. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-06026-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Elliott, Shirley B. (1984). The Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, 1758-1983: a biographical directory (PDF). Halifax: Province of Nova Scotia. p. 256&91. ISBN 0-88871-050-X.

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[Dictionary-1] Sutherland, D.A. (1983). "Samuel Hart". Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. V. Toronto. ISBN 0-8020-3351-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[McGrath84-2] McGrath, R.D. (1984). "In Illegal Pursuit of Wealth". Gunfighters, Highwaymen and Vigilantes. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-06026-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[3] Elliott, Shirley B. (1984). The Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, 1758-1983: a biographical directory (PDF). Halifax: Province of Nova Scotia. p. 256&91. ISBN 0-88871-050-X.

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