William McAdam (merchant)

William McAdam (c. 1725 – October 1, 1779) was a Scottish-American merchant and businessman who served as the president of the Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York.[1]

William McAdam
President of the Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York
In office
1772–1773
Preceded byJohn Watts
Succeeded byThomas Drummond
Personal details
Bornc. 1725
Ayr, Scotland
DiedOctober 1, 1779(1779-10-01) (aged 53–54)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s)
Ann Dey
​
​
(m. 1764; his death 1779)​
RelationsJohn Loudon McAdam (nephew)

Early life

McAdam was born in Ayr, Scotland around 1725. He was a son of James McAdam and Margaret (née Reid) McAdam. His brother James McAdam, Baron of Waterhead, was one of the founders of the first bank in Ayr in 1763.[2]

He was a direct descendant of Gilbert McAdam, "a zealous covenantor" who was killed by the Royalists in 1685 while "attending a prayer-meeting at Kirkmichael in Ayrshire."[2]

Career

Early in his life, he came to America and established a trading and merchant business. By 1766, he had a warehouse on Smith Street, near the New Dutch Church, where he sold "Iron-bound Butts & Puncheons, genuine Batavia Arrack in Bottles, Frontinjack, Priniack & Madeira, etc."[2] During the height of his career, he brought his nephew John Loudon McAdam (son of brother James) over to New York to work as a merchant and prize agent in his counting house. His nephew later returned to Scotland and became a well-known civil engineer and road-builder who invented the process known as "macadamisation", an economical method of constructing roads.[3]

During the American Revolution, McAdam was one of fifty-one committee of correspondence members that met in May 1774 at the Fraunces Tavern "in order to consult on measures proper to be pursued on the present critical and important situation" due to the British announcement that the port of Boston would be closed under the Boston Port Act.[4] However, McAdam, who was in "sympathy with the Crown," took steps to regulate the revival of trade in the Port of New York in 1779.[2] After the Patriots defeated the British, his property was confiscated and he lost practically all of his fortune.[5]

Personal life

On December 12, 1764, McAdam was married to Ann Dey,[6] daughter of Dirck Dey and Jane Dey.[7] Her father was a Dutch born planter, purchased 600 acres of land in Preakness Valley, now Wayne Township, and her brother, Col. Theunis Dey, built the Dey Mansion there in the 1770s.[8]

McAdam was a founder and original member of the New York Chamber of Commerce, serving as its treasurer and vice president. He was also elected a member of the Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York in 1761 and served as Assistant from 1765 to 1766, vice-president from 1771 to 1772 and president from 1772 to 1773.[2]

McAdam died on October 1, 1779 in New York City.[9]

References
  1. Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York (1911). Roster of Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York with Biographical Data. D. Taylor. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  2. Morrison, George Austin (1906). History of Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York, 1756-1906. New York: Saint Andrew's Society of the State of NY. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  3. Edkins, Richard. "John Loudon McAdam, Road Engineer (1756-1836)". Moffat Business and Tourism. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  4. Dawson 1886, pp. 7-8.
  5. MacDougall, Donald John (1917). Scots and Scots' Descendants in America. Caledonian Publishing Company. p. 64. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  6. New-York Historical Society Quarterly, Vols. 40-41. New York: New-York Historical Society. 1956. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  7. Covert, Norman M. (1995). Tree of Life: Genealogy of Covert, Goodson, Dey, Barker, Triplett, and Allied Families from 1607. Gateway Press. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  8. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  9. "William M'Cadam". The Caledonian Mercury. 11 December 1779. p. 3. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
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