James Price (17761840) was a miller, businessman, banker, and railroad executive based in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

. Born to a wealthy family in Kent County, Maryland, Price moved to Wilmington in his youth. He invested in

Joseph Tatnall Joseph Tatnall (1740–1813) was an American businessman, who was a prominent Quaker merchant, miller, and banker in Wilmington, Delaware. Early life The only son of Edward and Elizabeth (Pennock) Tatnall, Joseph was born in Wilmington on November ...

's mills in

Brandywine, Delaware New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...

. In 1802, he married Tatnall's daughter, Margaret, with whom he had four children between 1804 and 1809. In 1802, Tatnall also bought the Rotheram Mills, and moved into the 1740 brick house built by Joseph Rotheram, a Quaker who had immigrated to the American colonies in 1723. After his father-in-law died in 1813, Price became a co-owner of Tatnall's milling operations, along with brothers-in-law Thomas Lea and

Edward Tatnall Edward Tatnall (1782–1856) was an American miller and railroad executive based in Wilmington, Delaware. Early life Tattnell was a son of Joseph Tatnall, a miller and banker in Wilmington. Business career He was a director of the Delaware and Mary ...

and Tatnall relative

James Canby James Canby (1781–1858) was an American businessman, banker and early railroad executive based in Wilmington, Delaware. He was the son of Samuel and Frances Lea Canby. Samuel Canby was originally trained as a carpenter and cabinet maker and ...

. Price later became the first president of the

Union Bank of Delaware The Union Bank of Delaware was a bank that operated in Wilmington, Delaware, from 1839 until its acquisition by Wilmington Trust in 1943. It was chartered as a state bank on February 15, 1839, and was "soon recognized as one of the leading financia ...

. He also served as a director of three railroads that together built the first rail link from Philadelphia to Baltimore: the

Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad The Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B) was an American railroad that operated independently from 1836 to 1881. It was formed in 1836 by the merger of four state-chartered railroads in three Middle Atlantic states to create a ...

, the

Delaware and Maryland Railroad Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, and the

Wilmington and Susquehanna Railroad Wilmington may refer to: Places Australia *Wilmington, South Australia, a town and locality **District Council of Wilmington, a former local government area ** Wilmington railway line, a former railway line United Kingdom * Wilmington, Devon * ...

. His service is noted on the 1839

Newkirk Viaduct Monument The Newkirk Viaduct Monument (also, Newkirk Monument) is a 15-foot white marble obelisk in the West Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Installed in 1839, it is inscribed with the names of 51 railroad builders and executives, ...

. In 1837, he became the second president of the W&S, after James Canby resigned.PRR Chronology, 1837
/ref> Price died in 1840.

References

External links

Hagley Library: Delaware's Industrial Brandywine: James E. Price & Co.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Price, James 1776 births 1840 deaths Businesspeople from Wilmington, Delaware People from Kent County, Maryland 19th-century American railroad executives