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.
Ames was born in Easton, Massachusetts, the son of Susanna (Angier) Ames and Oliver Ames, Sr., a blacksmith who had built a business of making shovels, the Ames Shovel Shop, and became nicknamed "King of Spades".[1][2] 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.[3] 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.[4]
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."[5] Detractors referred to him as "Hoax Ames."[6] Ames died soon afterward at North Easton, Massachusetts, May 5, 1873.[2]
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.
^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. ISBN0-684-84609-8.
^United States Congress, Washington, D.C. "Ames, Oakes, (1804 - 1873)." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 26, 2011.
^Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, Northampton, MA. "Ames brothers celebrate 'Golden Spike.' Mass Moments. Accessed December 26, 2011.
^Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston, MA. "Oliver Ames (1831-1895)." Accessed December 26, 2011.
Further reading
Oakes Ames: A Memoir. (Cambridge, 1884) OCLC 3574882
oakes, ames, grandson, orchid, specialist, botanist, january, 1804, 1873, american, businessman, investor, politician, member, united, states, house, representatives, from, massachusetts, congressman, credited, many, historians, being, single, most, important,. For his grandson an orchid specialist see Oakes Ames botanist 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 Oakes AmesMember of the U S House of Representatives from Massachusetts s 2nd districtIn office March 4 1863 March 3 1873Preceded byJames BuffingtonSucceeded byBenjamin W HarrisPersonal detailsBorn 1804 01 10 January 10 1804Easton Massachusetts U S DiedMay 8 1873 1873 05 08 aged 69 Easton Massachusetts U S Political partyRepublicanSpouseEvelina Orville GilmoreChildrenOakes and OliverRelativesOliver Ames Sr father Oliver Ames Jr brother Signature Contents 1 Biography 2 Honors 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksBiography EditAmes was born in Easton Massachusetts the son of Susanna Angier Ames and Oliver Ames Sr a blacksmith who had built a business of making shovels the Ames Shovel Shop and became nicknamed King of Spades 1 2 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 amp 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 3 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 4 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 5 Detractors referred to him as Hoax Ames 6 Ames died soon afterward at North Easton Massachusetts May 5 1873 2 On May 10 1883 the 14th anniversary of the completion of the railroad the state legislature of Massachusetts passed a resolution exonerating Ames 3 His son Oliver Ames served as Governor from 1887 to 1890 7 Honors Edit 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 EditOakes Ames Memorial Hall Easton Massachusetts Ames Free Library Easton Massachusetts Ames Shovel Shop List of United States representatives expelled censured or reprimanded List of federal political scandals in the United StatesReferences Edit Modern Marvels television program episode Construction Machines Originally aired February 22 2001 a b Johnson Rossiter 1906 Ames Oakes The Biographical Dictionary of America Vol 1 pp 104 105 via Wikisource a b Rines George Edwin ed 1920 Ames Oakes Encyclopedia Americana Ambrose Stephen E 2000 Nothing Like It In The World The Men who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863 1869 New York Simon amp Schuster pp 363 368 ISBN 0 684 84609 8 United States Congress Washington D C Ames Oakes 1804 1873 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Accessed December 26 2011 Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities Northampton MA Ames brothers celebrate Golden Spike Mass Moments Accessed December 26 2011 Commonwealth of Massachusetts Boston MA Oliver Ames 1831 1895 Accessed December 26 2011 Further reading EditOakes Ames A Memoir Cambridge 1884 OCLC 3574882 White Richard 2011 Railroaded The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America W W Norton amp Company ISBN 978 0 393 06126 0 External links EditOakes Ames at Find a Grave Oakes Ames Oakes Ames s work on orchids by Oakes Ames grandson of the Oakes Ames featured in this Wikipedia article National Park Service site on Oliver and Oakes Ames Oliver and Oakes Ames Monument in Wyoming Harvard University papers of Oakes Ames Iowa State University Oakes Ames photographs PBS the Credit Mobilier Scandal Spencer Marks The Ames Family of North Easton Massachusetts Historic Unity Church Ames Family Tree Ames Oakes Appletons Cyclopaedia of American Biography 1900 Ames Oakes The Biographical Dictionary of America 1906 via Wikisource Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oakes Ames U S House of RepresentativesPreceded byJames Buffinton Member of the U S House of Representativesfrom Massachusetts s 2nd congressional district1863 1873 Succeeded byBenjamin W Harris Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Oakes Ames amp oldid 1098231352, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
