William Kerin Constable's Role in Early American Land Speculation and Global Trade Explored
A historical analysis delves into the life and business ventures of William Kerin Constable, a prominent New York merchant during the American Age of Revolution, focusing on his involvement in land speculation and global trade. Constable, who served as an aide-de-camp to Lafayette during the Revolutionary War, became one of New York's wealthiest merchants. He was a director of the Bank of New York and engaged in extensive land speculation, notably acquiring a significant portion of 'Macomb’s Purchase' in Upstate New York, totaling nearly two million acres. He also moved to London to sell shares of this purchase to European investors, including French royalists seeking sanctuary. Constable's business dealings, often in partnership with figures like Robert and Gouverneur Morris, spanned from local land investments and financial services to global trade with the West Indies, Europe, and Asia, including commissioning the second voyage of the 'Empress of China.'
