Daniel Bushnell
Daniel Bushnell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1808 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | 1891-07-12 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, oil trader, coal mine owner |
| Known for | Early investor in Standard Oil Company |
Daniel Bushnell (1808–1891) was a prominent American entrepreneur and an early investor in the Standard Oil Company.
Early life
Daniel was born in New York City in 1808 to parents Alexander Bushnell and Sarah Wells. In 1813, his family relocated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Career
Bushnell began his involvement in Pennsylvania’s coal sector in 1839, becoming a pioneer in the profitable transportation of coal via steamboats on the Monongahela River and Ohio River. His 1845 venture with the tugboat "Walter Forward" successfully delivered 2,000 bushels of coal to Cincinnati, showcasing the viability of this method. By 1851, he had expanded his fleet with the towboat "Black Diamond," which significantly increased coal shipments from Pennsylvania mines to surrounding ports. Collaborating with Captain J.J. Vandergrift, Bushnell extended coal distribution as far south as New Orleans, supporting industrial expansion in Pittsburgh and neighboring communities.
In addition to transportation, Bushnell owned multiple coal mines near Pittsburgh, including the Hodgson Mine (established 1843) and Bushnell Mine (established 1840). Around 1861, he transitioned into oil trading along the Allegheny River, working closely with his sons and Captain Vandergrift. Their business model involved acquiring oil from Venango wells and transporting it to Pittsburgh for sale.
Eventually, Bushnell’s oil enterprises were absorbed into the growing business controlled by John D. Rockefeller. In return for his assets, Bushnell received shares in Rockefeller’s company, becoming one of the original 37 shareholders of Standard Oil with an allocation of 97 shares in 1878 (while Rockefeller held nearly 9,000). Daniel Bushnell passed away in Pittsburgh on July 12, 1891, leaving a considerable estate to his seven surviving children.
Personal life
Daniel Bushnell was married twice: first to Eleanor Gray (1811–1854), with whom he fathered 14 children, and later to Elizabeth Hill, with whom he had three additional children. His family maintained influential business connections; his daughter Sarah Wells Bushnell wed William Gray Warden, a fellow Standard Oil shareholder. Their daughter, philanthropist Mary Warden Harkness (1864–1916), married Charles W. Harkness, an heir to Standard Oil wealth. Another granddaughter, Eleanor Bushnell Davis, was married to engineer Morris Llewellyn Cooke. Among Daniel’s notable great-grandchildren were intelligence officer Peter Ashmun Ames and novelist Joseph Bushnell Ames. His brother, Reverend Wells Bushnell (1799–1863), was a distinguished Presbyterian clergyman.