Timothy dexter biography

“There are but few men who are sufficiently attentive to their own thoughts, and able to analyze every motive or action. Among these, Timothy Dexter was not one.”

~ Samuel L. Knapp ()

Lord Timothy Dexter was many things.

He was a famed 18th century entrepreneur &#; one who made a series of apparently harebrained transactions, and somehow emerged handsomely rewarded each time. He was a poor, uneducated leather craftsman who, by fortuitously (and stupidly) speculating on the Continental dollar, became one of the richest men in Boston, and who then unsuccessfully lobbied for entry into elite social circles for decades. He was, in his own words, a “Classic Progressive ‘Libperel’” &#; and despite his atrocious spelling, he was also a published author and self-proclaimed philosopher. 

Lord Timothy Dexter was many things, but he was not a Lord: this was a title he bestowed upon himself, with great personal satisfaction.

Most importantly, Lord Dexter was one of America’s first famed eccentrics &#; yet, in the annals of history, he has been largely forgotten. This is a tragedy. Though he constantly yearned to be accepted, Lord Dexter refused to compromise his strange ways; in doing so, he paved the way for all aspiring American weirdos.

Birth of a Legend

In the late winter months of , several miles outside of Boston, Timothy Dexter was born. From his birth, he fancied himself a legend &#; “I was to be one grat [sic] man,” he later wrote &#; though initially, destiny was not on his side.

He came from a family of farm laborers who, in the times of British colonialism, saw little financial stability. Nonetheless, by the age of 16, Dexter secured himself an apprenticeship with a Boston leather dresser and began working toward a career as a craftsman. Though the profession was generally considered “lower class,” the money was

Lord Timothy Dexter is not someone most have heard of. The people preceding his death did their best to hide him from history.
Being uneducated, Dexter lacked many skills that fellow businesspeople had. This, fortunately, could be and was compensated for by a massive amount of luck. His first lucky break began when he spent his wealthy wife’s entire fortune purchasing Continental Dollars, which at the time were worthless. In some insane stroke of luck, the ratification of the constitution included a stipulation to honor Continental Dollars at 1% of face value. Having bought a mass amount for pennies on the dollar or less: Lord Dexter became extremely wealthy.
It is important to stress that Dexter wanted nothing more than to be included in the class of wealthy elites. It is even more important to mention that his wealthy neighbors had a large distaste for him and fed him horrible trading advice.
Taking the advice of his neighbors, Dexter purchased about 40, bed warming pans and sent them to the West Indies, unaware of the year-long hot climate. Realizing his mistake once he reached the West Indies, luck was on his side once again. Sugar plantation owners purchased the pans to stir vats of molasses and he once again profited. A neighbor then convinced him Newcastle needed coal. Dexter, having no knowledge of the large coal mine in Newcastle, sent a shipment. Miraculously, the coal mine had gone on strike, and he was able to sell at a huge markup.
With his wealth also came a mass number of eccentricities. Dotted across his property were massive statues, depicting an array of figures—including himself. Dexter, desperate for attention, eventually faked his own death and held a lavish funeral at his home. Upon seeing his wife ecstatic, he departed from his casket to confront her. When the guests saw him alive, he began to meander around the funeral and greet everyone. In his desire to fit in, he granted himself the

American businessman and author (–)

This article is about the American businessman. For the bear enthusiast, see Timothy Treadwell.

Timothy Dexter (January 22, – October 23, ), self-styled Lord Timothy Dexter, was an American businessman noted for his eccentric behavior and writings. He became wealthy through marriage and a series of improbably successful investments and spent his fortune lavishly. Though barely educated or literate, Dexter considered himself "the greatest philosopher in the known world", and authored a book, A Pickle for the Knowing Ones, which espouses his views on various topics and became notorious for its unusual misspellings and grammatical errors.

Life and works

Dexter was born in Malden in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. He was from a poor family of Irish immigrants who had moved to the New World the century before. He had little schooling and dropped out of school to work as a farm laborer at the age of 8.

When he was 16, he became a tanner'sapprentice. In , he moved to Newburyport, Massachusetts. He married year-old Elizabeth Frothingham, a rich widow, and he then bought a mansion with the money. Dexter set up shop in the basement, selling moosehide trousers, gloves, hides, and whale blubber. Elizabeth also opened a shop that sold notions.

At the end of the American Revolutionary War, he purchased large amounts of depreciate

autobiography by Timothy Dexter

A Pickle for the Knowing Ones, also known as Plain Truths in a Homespun Dress, is an autobiographical book written by American businessman Timothy Dexter. The book uses unorthodox spelling and grammar conventions, and contains almost no punctuation. Dexter was a rich businessman and eccentric, known for gaining his wealth through lucky investments like sending coals to Newcastle at the time of a miners' strike. The book includes complaints about things such as politicians and the clergy, while Dexter praises his own glory and even says that he should be the emperor of the United States. The second edition is noted for containing pages of punctuation in the appendix.

Background

Main article: Timothy Dexter

Dexter was born in Malden, Massachusetts, in , and began working as a tanner at He moved to Newburyport, Massachusetts, when he was 21 and married a wealthy widow, Elizabeth Frothingham, obtaining a sizable fortune with the marriage. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Dexter purchased a large sum of Continental currency that was worthless at the time. Several years later it had regained its value from prior to the war, making Dexter extremely wealthy. With it, he purchased ships and began a trading company.

Dexter began selling bed warmers to the West Indies, a move that proved to be a good idea when the captain sold them as ladles in molasses production. In another instance, Dexter bought a large amount of coal and sent it to Newcastle, an idea given to him by opponents as a trick, but it happened that Dexter sent the coal during a miners' strike in the town. Dexter's luck in the trading business soon made him one of the richest men in Massachusetts, causing much contempt from other businessmen in the area. Dexter had published letters in a number of newspapers that, in the words of Dexter, "amused the public with the comical e