Jesse Hawley (merchant) facts for kids

Jesse Hawley (born May 11, 1773 – died January 10, 1842) was an American flour merchant. He lived in Geneva, New York. Hawley is famous for being one of the first and most important people to suggest building the Erie Canal.

Jesse Hawley's Early Life and Business

Jesse Hawley was born and grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His parents were Elijah and Mercy Hawley. As an adult, he became a flour merchant in western New York. He would collect wheat in Geneva and have it ground into flour in Seneca Falls.

Hawley hoped that a company called the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company would improve the rivers. This would make it cheaper to ship his flour to cities near the Atlantic. However, the company stopped its work in 1804. This made it very hard and expensive for Hawley to transport his flour. The roads at that time were also very bad. Because of these problems, Hawley first thought of building a canal as early as 1805.

The Idea for the Erie Canal

By 1807, Hawley's shipping problems became so bad that he ended up in a special prison for people who couldn't pay their debts. He stayed there for twenty months. While in prison, he wrote fourteen important articles about his idea for a canal. This canal would connect the Hudson River to Lake Erie. He wrote these articles using the pen name "Hercules," and they were printed in a newspaper called the Genesee Messenger.

Even though Hawley didn't have much schooling or training as an engineer, his writings were amazing. He gathered a lot of information needed for the canal project. He also carefully looked at the problems that needed to be solved. Hawley wrote very clearly about how important this canal would be for New York State and for the whole country. Some people thought his ideas were crazy, but Hawley's articles greatly influenced the building of the Erie Canal.

Hawley's Later Life and Legacy

Hawley's writings inspired other important people, like Joseph Ellicott and DeWitt Clinton. These leaders helped pass laws to build what became the famous Erie Canal. Even though his ideas were so important, Hawley himself continued to face financial struggles as a merchant.

In 1817, Hawley was given a job collecting taxes for the port of Genesee. He also served as a member of the New York State Assembly. He represented Genesee County from 1820 to 1821.

In 1825, Hawley took part in the celebrations for the completion of the Erie Canal. He represented the people of Rochester at this big event. He continued to be interested in the canal's future. In 1840, he wrote another article called An Essay on the Enlargement of the Erie Canal.

Jesse Hawley was buried at the Cold Springs Cemetery in Lockport, New York.

Jesse Hawley's Family Life

Jesse Hawley married Elizabeth "Betsey" Ralston Tiffany in May 1812. She was a young widow. They had a daughter named Julia. After their marriage ended, Hawley later married Elizabeth L. Hawley.