Samuel Hart

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 in 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. 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].

For other people named Samuel Hart, see Samuel Hart (disambiguation).

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
  1. Sutherland, D.A. (1983). "Samuel Hart". Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. V. Toronto. ISBN 0-8020-3351-2.
  2. McGrath, R.D. (1984). "In Illegal Pursuit of Wealth". Gunfighters, Highwaymen and Vigilantes. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-06026-1.
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