By J. Valerie Fifer

William Wheelwright became internationally famous as one of the most enterprising and successful pioneers in 19th-century South America, particularly Chile and Argentina. During his earliest years as a ship’s captain and merchant - trader, Wheelwright was part of New England’s worldwide maritime frontier - simulating commerce, opening markets and promoting new technologies. Before long, he emerged as one of the century’s most outstanding entrepreneurs.

This richly illustrated study marking the bicentenary of Wheelwright’s birth, brings together for the first time a wide range of material from archive and other sources in Chile, Argentina, and the United States. This book contributes to an understanding of South America’s development in the early years of independence, and will also have special appeal to historians of New England’s early pioneering exploits overseas, revealing the scale and flair of Yankee enterprise in the development of new lands, not only within the United States at that time but also on more distant frontiers elsewhere in the world.