Simeon Draper
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Simeon Draper (January 19, 1806 - November 6, 1866) was a prominent merchant and politician in
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. During the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, he was the federal government's agent for receiving captured cotton from the
Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
and selling it to benefit the
Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
war effort. A native of
Brookfield, Massachusetts Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Brookfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. The population was 3,439 at the 2020 census. History Brookfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660 and was officiall ...
, Draper clerked for a
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
merchant before moving to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
to begin his own business career. A successful merchant, he became wealthy enough to broaden his holdings, which grew to include real estate, insurance, and banking. A Whig in politics, and later a
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, Draper served on the Whig state committee several times in the 1840s and 1850s; after becoming a Republican following the party's founding in the mid-1850s, he served as chairman of the
New York Republican State Committee The New York Republican State Committee, established in 1855, is the New York State affiliate of the United States Republican Party (GOP). The party has headquarters in Albany, Buffalo, and New York City.
from 1860 to 1862. During the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, Draper received a high-paying patronage appointment as
Collector of the Port of New York The Collector of Customs at the Port of New York, most often referred to as Collector of the Port of New York, was a federal officer who was in charge of the collection of import duties on foreign goods that entered the United States by ship at t ...
. He was also appointed as an agent of the federal government responsible to receive, store, and dispose of cotton captured in the
Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
. The results of a post-war investigation indicated that Draper used this post to recover from financial setbacks he had during the Panic of 1857 by diverting some of the proceeds of the sale of captured cotton to his personal use. Draper died in Whitestone, Queens County, New York in 1866, and was buried at
Trinity Church Cemetery The parish of Trinity Church has three separate burial grounds associated with it in New York City. The first, Trinity Churchyard, is located in Lower Manhattan at 74 Trinity Place, near Wall Street and Broadway. Alexander Hamilton, Albert Gal ...
in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
.


Early life

Draper was born in
Brookfield, Massachusetts Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Brookfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. The population was 3,439 at the 2020 census. History Brookfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660 and was officiall ...
on January 19, 1806, the eighth son and 12th child of Captain Simeon Draper (1765–1848), and his first wife, Mary "Polly" Bemis, the daughter of Col. Benjamin Bemis. He was a merchant's clerk in Boston, Massachusetts before coming to New York City where he settled as a merchant. His business interests later expanded to include real estate investment, development, and auctions, as well as insurance and investment banking.


Political career

Draper was a friend of
Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison ...
,
William H. Seward William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States Senator. A determined oppon ...
,
Thurlow Weed Edward Thurlow Weed (November 15, 1797 – November 22, 1882) was a printer, New York newspaper publisher, and Whig and Republican politician. He was the principal political advisor to prominent New York politician William H. Seward and was i ...
, and a member of the Whig Party. He began his political career in the 1840s when he was appointed a member of the Board of Ten Governors, then in charge of New York City charities. When the law creating the board was repealed, Draper served as Commissioner of Public Charities and Correction. In the 1850s, Draper was Superintendent of Canal Repairs on the
Cayuga and Seneca Canal Cayuga often refers to: * Cayuga people, a native tribe to North America, part of the Iroquois Confederacy * Cayuga language, the language of the Cayuga Cayuga may also refer to: Places Canada *Cayuga, Ontario United States *Cayuga, Illinois * ...
. He served as a member of the Whig state central committee several times in the 1840s and 1850s, and became a
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
when the party was founded in 1854. In 1856, he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, but
John A. King John Alsop King (January 3, 1788July 7, 1867) was an American politician who was Governor of New York from 1857 to 1858. Life John Alsop King was born in the area now encompassed by New York City on January 3, 1788, to U.S. Senator Rufus King ...
was selected and went on to win the general election. He was one of the original Police Commissioners of the New York Metropolitan Police District when the board was established on April 16, 1857, and was chosen to serve as the board's president. Draper resigned before the end of his term after complaining that his fellow commissioners were making police department appointments based on political considerations and without consulting him.


Civil War

From 1860 to 1862, Draper was the chairman of the state Republican party. From September 1862 to April 1863, Draper served during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
as Provost Marshal General of the
United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, ...
. In this civilian position, Draper oversaw special provost marshals at the local level who were responsible for arresting deserters, enrolling draftees, and enlisting volunteers. Draper resigned after passage of a new law reorganizing the Provost Marshal's office and appointing deputies by Congressional district. Draper was also an agent of the federal government with wartime responsibility for receiving cotton captured in the Confederate states, storing it, and then selling it on the government's behalf. According to allegations in a post-war Congressional investigation, Draper, who had been bankrupted by business reverses during the Panic of 1857, did not provide accurate reports on the types and amounts of cotton he sold, enabling him to divert some of the proceeds to his personal use. As a result, he was supposedly able to pay off his debts and leave a sizable estate at his death. From September 1864 to August 1865, Draper was
Collector of the Port of New York The Collector of Customs at the Port of New York, most often referred to as Collector of the Port of New York, was a federal officer who was in charge of the collection of import duties on foreign goods that entered the United States by ship at t ...
from September 1864 to August 1865. In a story recounted by David Davis, Draper obtained the collector's post after paying $20,000 (about $320,000 in 2018) to
Mary Todd Lincoln Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (December 13, 1818July 16, 1882) served as First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Mary Lincoln was a member of a large and wealthy, slave-owning ...
so that she would persuade her husband to appoint him to this lucrative post. Draper and Mrs. Lincoln both denied Davis's claim, and nothing was ever proved against them.


Death

Draper died in Whitestone, Queens County, New York on November 6, 1866. He was interred in the Draper family vault at
Trinity Church Cemetery The parish of Trinity Church has three separate burial grounds associated with it in New York City. The first, Trinity Churchyard, is located in Lower Manhattan at 74 Trinity Place, near Wall Street and Broadway. Alexander Hamilton, Albert Gal ...
in Manhattan.


Family

Simeon Draper was a descendant of early
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
settler James Draper. On October 30, 1834, he married Frances S. Haggerty Draper, daughter of John Haggerty, with whom he had five children: Marie (b. 1835); Fanny (b. 1837); John Haggerty (1839-1890); Julian (b. 1841, died as an infant); and Henry (1843-1898). William B. Draper was his brother. Notable descendants include great-grandsons William Draper Lewis and Francis Draper Lewis.


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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Draper, Simeon 19th-century American businesspeople People from West Springfield, Massachusetts 1804 births 1866 deaths Collectors of the Port of New York New York (state) Whigs New York (state) Republicans Burials at Trinity Church Cemetery People from Brookfield, Massachusetts