George
Perry Tewksbury - The First Island Keeper Working for Boston
George P. Tewksbury was born in Boston on June 27,
1808, the son of William and Elizabeth.
Mr. Tewksbury became the captain of Boston’s quarantine vessel in 1828
at the age of twenty, one of the youngest men to hold such a positon. He remained in that post for 17 years. On
October 12, 1831, the Boston City Council’s quarantine committee raised his
wages from 30 to 40 dollars a month to recognize his faithful, active,
industrious, sober and skillful conduct for the city.[1] In 1840 Mr. Tewksbury
spoke out against one of Boston’s physicians, Dr. Strong who was also a member
of the House of Representative and claimed that “instances have been known of
persons dying in the boats on the passage down to the island.” Tewksbury stated
as a matter of justice that this remark was utterly false. He stated, “There is
not a single instance on record or within the memory of anyone who is or has
been connected with the Health Department of a death on board of a boat by
smallpox or any other disease.”[2] While a broader review of
the 19th century did identify such cases, during Tewksbury reign as
captain the city escaped such tragic cases.
On March 17, 1841 the Massachusetts Commonwealth turned Rainsford Island
over to the City of Boston and enabled the city to eliminate the positons of
island keeper, boatman and physician as they deemed appropriate.[3] The City did not accept this act and, consistent with the act's provision that the city could reject it,
the city decided to combine the positions of island keeper and boatman thereby saving
$460 a year.[4]
Tewksbury was appointed the 13th
Keeper of Rainsford Island and Captain of the Quarantine vessel on June 28,
1841. He remained in that position until March 1845 when he was replaced by
Jonathan Bruce who assumed the joint duties of island keeper and quarantine
captain.[5] On October 15, 1847 Mr. Tewksbury was elected
the Commonwealth’s first Harbor Master by the Boston Common Council, the Board
of Aldermen and the Mayor.[6] His post was created as a
result of an act of the state legislature. In his first annual report to the
city, Tewksbury indicated that he boarded 8,000 vessels of which 1,493 were
assisted in reaching their anchorage grounds. He urged the city to stop the
practice of taking ballast from Great Brewster and Gallop’s Island and he also
recommended that a breakwater should be erected at Cedar Point, Deer Island
which would create a beautiful, safe harbor accessible at all times.[7] These recommendations were
instrumental in justifying the acquisition of Gallop’s Island for quarantine
use some twelve years later. He
remained harbor master until 1856 when Boston politics sabotaged his career. His
affiliation with the Know Nothing party coincident with an effort to raise his
salary and that of his subordinate staff led to a counterinsurgency in the
House of Representatives to stop any fees imposed on the shipping industry
merely to pay Tewksbury and his staff a better salary.[8] Mr. Tewksbury had
previously been a member of the Whig party and was active in local politics
representing Boston’s ward one.[9] The political brouhaha of 1856 occurred a
year before his untimely death on July 4, 1857 when he and three other people
were killed by gunpowder exploding from poorly constructed rocket gun released
on Boston Commons.[10] A jury trial found the fireworks company
responsible for his death pointing to a faulty rocket gun that had been
imperfectly designed.[11]
[1]
Columbian Centinel, October 12, 1831, p2.
[2]
Trumpet and Universalist Magazine, April 15, 1840, p. 3.
[3]
Boston Daily Advertiser, March 29, 1841, p. 1
[4]
Bay State Democrat, June 29, 1841, p. 2
[5]
Boston Courier, March 27, 1845, p. 2
[6]
Boston Daily Bee, September 10, 1847. p. 2; Hingham Patriot, October 15, 1847,
p. 2.
[7]
Boston Evening Transcript, October 4, 1848, p. 2.
[8]
Boston Daily Advertiser, May 21, 1856, p 1
[9]
Boston Daily Bee, September 26, 1849, p. 2.
[10]
Pittsfield Sun, July 9, 1857, p. 2; Boston Traveler, July 20, 1857, p. 4.
[11] Boston
Traveler, July 20, 1857, p. 4
