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 an 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. He was elected to the 7th General Assembly of Nova Scotia for the years 1793–1799, representing Liverpool Township.[3] 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]
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
edit- ^ a b c d Sutherland, D.A. (1983). "Samuel Hart". Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. V. Toronto. ISBN 0-8020-3351-2.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b McGrath, R.D. (1984). "In Illegal Pursuit of Wealth". Gunfighters, Highwaymen and Vigilantes. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-06026-1.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Elliott, Shirley B. (1984). The Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, 1758-1983: a biographical directory (PDF). Halifax: Province of Nova Scotia. p. 256&91. ISBN 0-88871-050-X.
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