Oakes Ames

Oakes Ames (January 10, 1804 – May 8, 1873) was an American businessman, investor, and politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts. As a congressman, he is credited by many historians as being the single most important influence in the building of the Union Pacific portion of the transcontinental railroad. He is also noted for the subsequent scandal that alleged the improper sale of stock of the railroad's construction company.

For his grandson, an orchid specialist, see Oakes Ames (botanist).

Oakes Ames
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Massachusetts's 2nd district
In office
March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1873
Preceded byJames Buffington
Succeeded byBenjamin W. Harris
Personal details
Born(1804-01-10)January 10, 1804
Easton, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedMay 8, 1873(1873-05-08) (aged 69)
Easton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Evelina Orville Gilmore Ames
ChildrenOakes Angier Ames,
Oliver Ames
ParentsOliver Ames, Sr.,
Susannah Angier
RelativesOliver Ames, Jr., brother
ProfessionBusinessman, investor, politician
Signature

Biography

Ames was born in Easton, Massachusetts, the son of Oliver Ames, Sr., a blacksmith who had built a business of making shovels, the Ames Shovel Shop, and became nicknamed "King of Spades".[1] In his youth, he obtained a public school education and later worked in the family workshops to learn each step of the manufacturing process. He eventually became a partner in the business, and with his brother Oliver Ames, Jr. he established the firm Oliver Ames & Sons. Driven by the settlement of the Midwest, by the discovery of gold in California and Australia, as well as by railroad construction, the shovel manufacturing business boomed. During the Civil War, the firm prospered with contracts for swords, shovels, and other tools and implements.[2] Ames made a large fortune.

He was influential in the establishment of the Republican Party in Massachusetts. In 1860, he became a member of the executive council of Massachusetts, and from 1863 to 1873 he served as a U.S. Congressman from the Second District of Massachusetts. In Congress, he became a member of the Committee on Railroads during the early building of the transcontinental railroad. In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln appealed to him to take control of the Union Pacific (UP) portion of the project, which had become mired down because of the war, and had built only 12 miles (19 km) of track.

Through his influence he obtained contracts for his family firm in the construction of the Union Pacific and staked nearly all the family's holdings as capitalization for the project. The contracts were later transferred to the Credit Mobilier Company of America after Ames ousted its founder Thomas Durant. His brother Oliver was appointed president of the UP in 1866. The railroad was completed in 1869.[3]

In 1872, it was disclosed Ames sold shares in Credit Mobilier to fellow congressmen at a price greatly below the market value of the stock. The subsequent public scandal led to a House investigation, which formally recommended expulsion. On February 28, 1873, the House passed a resolution formally censuring Ames "in seeking to secure congressional attention to the affairs of a corporation in which he was interested, and whose interest directly depended upon the legislation of Congress, by inducing members of Congress to invest in the stocks of said corporation."[4] Detractors referred to him as "Hoax Ames."[5] Ames died soon afterward at North Easton, Massachusetts.

On May 10, 1883, the 14th anniversary of the completion of the railroad, the state legislature of Massachusetts passed a resolution exonerating Ames.[2] His son Oliver Ames served as Governor from 1887 to 1890.[6]

Honors
Oakes Ames

The contributions of Ames and his brother Oliver in the building of the Union Pacific are commemorated in the Oliver and Oakes Ames Monument at Sherman Summit, near Laramie, Wyoming, along the original route. The pyramidal monument was designed by famous architect Henry Hobson Richardson (who designed a number of projects for the Ames family) with sculpted plaques of the Ames brothers by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. At the time of its construction, the monument was located at the highest point attained by the UP's transcontinental route. With a change in the route of the railroad, the monument today is not on any major transportation route.

The city of Ames, Iowa is named for Oakes, as is likely the community of Ames, Nebraska. The public high school in Easton, Massachusetts is named Oliver Ames High School.

See also

References
  1. Modern Marvels television program; episode "Construction Machines." Originally aired February 22, 2001.
  2. Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). "Ames, Oakes" . Encyclopedia Americana.
  3. Ambrose, Stephen E. (2000). Nothing Like It In The World; The Men who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863–1869. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 363–368. ISBN 0-684-84609-8.
  4. United States Congress, Washington, D.C. "Ames, Oakes, (1804 - 1873)." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 26, 2011.
  5. Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, Northampton, MA. "Ames brothers celebrate 'Golden Spike.' Mass Moments. Accessed December 26, 2011.
  6. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston, MA. "Oliver Ames (1831-1895)." Accessed December 26, 2011.

Further reading
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
James Buffinton		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district
March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1873		 Succeeded by
Benjamin W. Harris
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