James Rich Steers (October 15, 1808 – April 16, 1896) was an American

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

builder and politician. He founded the George Steers and Co shipyard with his brother,

George Steers George Steers (August 15, 1819 – September 25, 1856) was a designer of yachts best known for the famous racing yacht ''America''. He founded a shipyard with his brother, George Steers and Co, and died in an accident just as he was landing a ma ...

Career

Steers was born in Plymouth, England. His father,

Henry Steers Henry Steers (1779 in Dartmouth, England – 1850 in New York, USA) was a prominent nineteenth-century American shipbuilder of English descent, and the ancestor of a line of important businessmen in various boatbuilding and maritime construction ...

, was connected to the Construction Department of the Royal Naval Dockyards at Plymouth until 1815. He moved the family to the United States in 1817, including James and brother

(1819-1856). In 1826 Steers was involved with his father in partially successful efforts to recover items from the sunken British cruiser HMS Hussar in the

Hell Gate Hell Gate is a narrow tidal strait in the East River in New York City. It separates Astoria, Queens, from Randall's and Wards Islands. Etymology The name "Hell Gate" is a corruption of the Dutch phrase ''Hellegat'' (it first appeared on ...

area of New York Harbor. In 1830 he became superintendent of the ship building firm Smith & Dimon. Beginning work under his father on the 500 ton steamer Governor Walcott, Steers soon became a shipbuilder in his own right. Between 1841 and 1850, he built many yachts well known in their day. These include, the Edwin Forest (1841), ''Three Brothers'', ''Miller's Damsel'', and the ''Huzzar''. In 1842, he and his brother built the yacht ''Martin Van Buren''. In 1850, he and his brother formed the firm George & James R. Steers, with

shipyards A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

at the foot of East Twelfth Street, where the yacht ''America'' was built for John C. Stevens, Edward A. Stevens, George Schuyler, Hamilton Wilkes, and J. Beekman Finley. Steers retired from active business in 1857, having amassed a considerable fortune and passed the business on to his son

. He was an active Mason, a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, one time

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

of the Eleventh Ward, and later a Police Justice. From 1829 until its absorption into the Metropolitan Fire District in 1865, he was active in the Live Oak No. 44 volunteer fire company founded by Jacob Bell, which operated out of quarters at the far east end of

Houston Street Houston Street ( ) is a major east–west thoroughfare in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs the full width of the island of Manhattan, from FDR Drive along the East River in the east to the West Side Highway along the Hudson River i ...

near the waterfront and included many prominent shipbuilders among its members. Steers served a term as foreman of the company and was believed to be its last surviving member at his death.

Personal

Steers was twice married. With his first wife, Francis E. Hunt, he had four children:

, James Rich Steers Jr. (the founder of J. Rich Steers, Inc.), Daniel Steers, and Mrs. Frederick E. Baker. After Francine's death in 1870, Steers married Marion E. Walters in 1878. Steers' death on April 16, 1896, age 88, was attributed to "an attack of acute indigestion". His funeral took place at the Trinity Protestant Episcopal Chapel in New York City. He was buried at the

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several blo ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steers, James Rich American shipbuilders American businesspeople in shipping 1808 births 1896 deaths

Career

Personal

See also

References