Nathaniel Silsbee

Burial Location: Amaranth Path: Lot 0129, Grave#2

Born on January 4, 1773, to parents Captain Nathaniel Silsbee and Sarah Becket Silsbee, Nathaniel Silsbee was the oldest child in his family. He attended private schools until his father took him out of school when the boy was only fourteen years old and sent him off to sea. It was said that the teenager was rebellious. His father was also having financial difficulties and needed more income for the family. Young Nathaniel earned navigation skills aboard the ships owned by Elias Hasket Derby and was apparently very successful at dealing with his fellow sailors. His pay was five dollars a month. Nathaniel added to this by his “adventures”, which were private speculations and sales of items in which he was able to make more than 100% profit.

By the age of nineteen, he was in command of Elias Hasket Derby’s sloop Sally. When he and his first mate Charles Derby went to pick up their papers at the Custom House in Salem, they were told that they were making history as the first two teenagers to handle a voyage. At 22, he was a part owner of the schooner Betsy. At age 28, Nathaniel Silsbee retired from the sea. He put his brothers William and Zachariah in charge of the vessels that he owned.

On December 12, 1802, Nathaniel Silsbee married Mary Crowninshield. Silsbee began to pursue a career in politics. He served two terms in the US House of Representatives, from March 4, 1817 to March 3, 1821. He was chair of the House Committee on Military Pensions. Returning home to Massachusetts, he served in the state Senate from 1821-1823 and was Senate President from 1823-1825. He was elected to the US Senate from 1826-1829 and was reelected, serving until 1835. He was the chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce.

His son Nathaniel was the mayor of Salem in 1849-1850 and again in 1858-1859.

Silsbee had a large house built next to the Salem Common. It rivaled other houses in the city in size and decoration. Later it became the headquarters for the Knights of Columbus. The Silsbee family entertained many well known politicians, including: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, James Madison, Daniel Webster, and Henry Clay. The Marquis de Lafayette visited in 1824.

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Photo : Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA.

Sources Consulted:

• Salem Links and Lore.
• Vote View by UCLA.
• Wikipedia.