Wilson Small (1810–1886) was an American tradesman, businessman, politician and

public servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

. A jeweller by trade, Small took an interest in politics from an early age, and in the 1830s was an organizer of the Locofocos faction of the Democratic Party. In the 1840s, he served two terms as an assemblyman in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

. After an interval in the 1850s as proprietor of a marine engineering facility— Brooklyn's

West Street Foundry The West Street Foundry was an American steam engineering works notable for producing marine steam engines in the mid-19th century. Based in Brooklyn, New York, the company built at least 27 marine engines between 1845 and 1855, including engi ...

—Small joined the

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

, holding a wide variety of government positions over the course of several decades. He was highly active in a voluntary capacity, particularly as a fireman and as a member of the

Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd ...

Life and career

Wilson Small was born in New York City on February 13, 1810. His family being unable to afford him a good education, he entered the workforce at the age of twelve as a jeweller's apprentice. After completing his apprenticeship, he continued to earn a living in the trade until the

Panic of 1837 The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis in the United States that touched off a major depression, which lasted until the mid-1840s. Profits, prices, and wages went down, westward expansion was stalled, unemployment went up, and pessimism abound ...

. Small took an interest in politics from an early age, and by 1832 was an organizer of the Equal Rights Party, a Jacksonian faction of the Democratic Party with a strong opposition to government and other monopolies. In 1835, Tammany Hall Democrats attempted to thwart an Equal Rights Party meeting by turning off the gas and plunging the venue into darkness. Having been warned of the plot however, Small and other party leaders had distributed candles and matches to the attendees, so that when the gas was shut off, members were able to light their candles and continue to elect their preferred slate of candidates. The Equal Rights Party thereafter became known as the Locofocos, after the brand name of the matches distributed to members. In 1846, Small was elected to the

, and was re-elected the following year. After the completion of his second term, he was elected president of the Board of Aldermen in New York's 10th Ward. In about 1850, taking advantage of a business opportunity, Small acquired the

, a steam engineering works in Brooklyn. During his proprietorship, the company built the engines for at least 18 steam vessels, most notably that of , one of the finest and fastest New England steamers of her day. Small's contacts through the foundry also led to him briefly accepting a position as captain of the New York steam ferry ''Boston'', but he resigned after finding this line of work unprofitable. The West Street Foundry failed in 1855 during a prolonged shipbuilding slump, and Small then joined the

. Small subsequently held a wide variety of government positions, including water purveyor, court clerk, receiver of taxes, and superintendent of repairs and supplies with New York's Department of Public Works, a position he held until 1873. He was also a school trustee and commissioner in the Public School Department from 1843 until about 1868, during which time he advocated and helped establish the Free Academy, known today as the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

. His last position was as chairman of the Board of Assessors and foreclosure clerk in New York's Superior Court, which he held for some 14 years.

Personal details

Small served as a member of New York's Volunteer Fire Department for 16 years, until its reorganization in 1865 as a professional body; he was also a long-serving trustee of the Fire Department Benevolent Fund. He was a Sachem, and later the longterm Sagamore, of Tammany Hall. He joined the

in 1833, and in 1840 was elected Grand Master of the New York branch, continuing as a member for fifty years or more; he was also a senior member of the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

. He was active in the affairs of the Episcopal Church, and was a director, and for some years president, of the Mechanics and Tradesmens Society. He was an effective public speaker, known for his brevity and succinctness. Small was married three times and widowed at least once. After living all his life in New York City, he died there on October 21, 1886, at the age of 76. He was survived by his third wife and three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Small, Wilson 1810 births 1886 deaths American jewellers Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Businesspeople from New York City Politicians from New York City