Daily Almanac for
Dec 11, 2009
Search White Pages
Search: Infoplease Info search tips
Search: Biographies Bio search tips
Encyclopedia

Willing, Thomas

Willing, Thomas, 17311821, American merchant and financier, b. Philadelphia. He studied law in London. Returning to Philadelphia in 1749, he entered his father's business and later established with Robert Morris (1734–1806) a prominent importing and exporting firm in Philadelphia. He was elected mayor of Philadelphia in 1763 and was (1767–77) a justice of the Pennsylvania court. As a member (1775–76) of the Continental Congress, he voted against the Declaration of Independence. In 1780, Willing was active in raising money for the Continental army. He was one of the founders of the Bank of North America and its first president (1781–1792). He was also (1791–1811) first president of the Bank of the United States.

See B. A. Konkle, Thomas Willing and the First American Financial System (1937).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

    • Cite
    • Print
    • Bookmark

More on Thomas Willing from Infoplease:

  • Thomas WILLING - WILLING, Thomas (1731—1821) WILLING, Thomas, a Delegate from Pennsylvania; born in ...
  • V - Z - V - Z Jacobus Van Cortlandt Stephen Van Cortlandt Cornelius Vanderbilt William Henry Vanderbilt Sir ...
  • Able Danger - Starring Elina Löwensohn, Adam Nee, Michael J. Burg, Tamara Knausz, Gregory Paul Martin
  • Robert Morris, 1734–1806, American merchant - Morris, Robert Morris, Robert, 1734–1806, American merchant, known as the “financier of ...

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Business Leaders


Premium Partner Content
HighBeam Research

Related content from HighBeam Research on: Thomas Willing

Additional search results provided by HighBeam Research, LLC. © Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.