PrimaryResearch.org > Primary Research through the History of Beverly > Beverly Hall of Fame > Israel Thorndike
Israel Thorndike was a sailor and merchant, born in Beverly. He went to sea at an early age and commanded a privateer during the American Revolution. He became active in the early China trade and was elected to the Massachusetts legislature 13 times. He moved to Boston (1810) and his mansion became a center for political and social discourse. In 1776, he was appointed captain of the privateer "Warren" by the government of Massachusetts, and made several captures during the Revolutionary War. When the war concluded he engaged in commerce with China and the East Indies, and also in manufacturing. His enterprises were all skillfully planned, and he soon became wealthy. He was elected to the Massachusetts convention that ratified the Constitution, and for many years sat in the Massachusetts legislature. In 1818 purchased for the use of Harvard the library of Professor Christoph Daniel Ebeling, of Hamburg, which consists of 4,000 volumes, and is remarkably rich in works on American history and antiquities.
Sean McGilloway
