Thomas Handasyd Perkins | |
|---|---|
_-_Gilbert_Stuart_(cropped).jpg) Portrait by Gilbert Stuart | |
| Born | December 15, 1764 |
| Died | January 11, 1854 (aged 89) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Shipping magnate |
| Spouse |
Sarah Elliott
(m. 1788; died 1852) |
| Children | 6 |
| Parent(s) | James Perkins Elizabeth Peck |
| Relatives | Edward Clarke Cabot (grandson) James Elliot Cabot (grandson) Samuel Cabot III (grandson) Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz (granddaughter) |
Colonel Thomas Handasyd Perkins, also known as T. H. Perkins (December 15, 1764 – January 11, 1854), was an American merchant, slave trader, smuggler and philanthropist from a wealthy Boston Brahmin family. Starting with bequests from his grandfather and father-in-law, he amassed a huge fortune. As a young man, he traded slaves in Saint-Domingue, worked as a maritime fur trader trading furs from the American Northwest to China, and then turned to smuggling Turkish opium into China.[1][2] His philanthropic contributions include the Perkins School for the Blind, renamed in his honor; the Boston Museum of Fine Arts; McLean Hospital; along with having a hand in founding the Massachusetts General Hospital.