William Henry Hayes | |
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Born | 1827 or 1829 Cleveland, Ohio |
Died | 31 March 1877 |
Other names | Bully Hayes |
Occupation(s) | Ship's captain, trader and blackbirder |
William Henry "Bully" Hayes (1827 or 1829 – 31 March 1877)[1] was a notorious American ship's captain who engaged in blackbirding in the 1860s and 1870s.[2][3]
Hayes operated across the breadth of the Pacific Ocean from the 1850s until his murder on 31 March 1877. He has been described as a South Sea pirate and "the last of the buccaneers".[4][5] However, in their account of his life, James A. Michener and A. Grove Day warn that it is almost impossible to separate fact from legend regarding Hayes; they described him as "a cheap swindler, a bully, a minor confidence man, a thief, a ready bigamist" and commented that there is no evidence that he ever took a ship by force in the tradition of a pirate or privateer.[2] Hayes was a large man who used intimidation against his crew, although he could reportedly be very charming if he chose to be.[6]
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