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Article: Ames, Oliver
- Article from:
- Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History
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AMES, OLIVER
Oliver Ames (1807
–
1877) was a successful manufacturer, businessman, and politician. He is best known for his role as director of the Union Pacific Railroad, the eastern half of the first transcontinental railroad. Ames helped finance the project and oversaw its construction.
Oliver Ames was born on November 5, 1807 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, one of six sons born to Oliver Ames and Susanna Angier. His father owned a successful shovel manufacturing company in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Ames was raised in North Easton, 20 miles south of Boston. At the age of 21 he went to study law at the Franklin Academy at North Andover. He studied there for 18 months and worked ...