Derby, Elias Hasket

Derby, Elias Hasket

(1739–99) merchant, shipowner; born in Salem, Mass. He inherited his father's merchant business and used his vessels as privateers during the American Revolution. He became very wealthy and expanded his business to the farthest ends of the globe after the Revolution; his skippers were among the first Americans to reach the Baltic, India, the East Indies, and China. Although he never went to sea himself, he chose his captains wisely and he only lost one vessel during his career. He remains known to this day for the fine homes and furniture he and his family commissioned from the leading architects and cabinetmakers of their day.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.