John Wesley Hunt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Wesley Hunt (1773–1849) was a prominent businessman and early civic leader in Lexington, Kentucky. He was one of the first millionaires west of the Allegheny Mountains.

Moving to Lexington in 1795, Hunt became a merchant, horsebreeder, hemp manufacturer, and banker. In 1799, President John Adams named Hunt as postmaster of Lexington. In 1814, Hunt built a two-story brick mansion known as "Hopemont" (today known as The Hunt-Morgan House) for him and his wife Catherine. His son Charlton Hunt became the first mayor of Lexington. In the winter of 1839-1840, Hunt introduced the Messenger strain to Kentucky.

John Wesley Hunt's grandson, John Hunt Morgan, was a famous Confederate general during the American Civil War. A great-grandson, Dr. Thomas Hunt Morgan, was the first Kentuckian to win a Nobel Prize.

Hunt is buried in the family plot in the Lexington Cemetery.

References

Ramage, James A., John Wesley Hunt, Pioneer Merchant, Manufacturer, & Financier, Lexington, Kentucky, University Press of Kentucky, 1974. ISBN 0-8131-0204-9.

Persondata
Name	Hunt, John Wesley
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1773
Place of birth
Date of death	1849
Place of death

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.