Manuel Eyre
Encyclopedia
Manuel Eyre was a colonel in the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...

, a shipbuilder, and the brother of Revolutionary War heroes Benjamin
Benjamin Eyre
Benjamin George Eyre , was a figure of the American Revolutionary War. Eyre served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Continental Army, commanding the Second Battalion of the Pennsylvania Militia. As aide-de-camp to General George Washington, he was so close to the future President that he was once...

 and Jehu
Jehu Eyre
Jehu Eyre or Ayer was an American businessman, veteran of the French and Indian War and American Revolutionary War, and member of the influential Eyre family, which played a major role in the American Revolution and the early Republic...

 Eyre.

Manuel Eyre was born in Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 9,920....

, one of five children of George and Mary Eyre. On January 8, 1761, he married Mary Wright, daughter of shipbuilder Richard Wright. His brother Jehu would marry Mary's sister Lydia on December 28 of the same year.

Shortly after these marriages, the Eyres would take over the shipping yards at Kensington
Kensington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Kensington is a neighborhood in the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is between the Lower Northeast section of Philadelphia and North Philadelphia. Not to be confused with the former Kensington District, now commonly referred to as Fishtown, the area modernly referred to as...

 (now part of Philadelphia). During the Revolution, the first ships built in the U.S. Navy were commissioned by the Eyres, the earliest being the gunboat Bull Dog in August 1775.

After the war
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

, he became a member of the Pennsylvania state legislature
Pennsylvania General Assembly
The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times , the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly. Since the Constitution of 1776, written by...

 and continued to build on his business interests. The Eyre shipping yards that had been so vital to the cause of independence became the international business of Eyre and Massey, one of the largest shipping companies in the world.

One historian writes that, "Their vessels were known in almost every principal port of Europe and Asia, besides the United States and West Indian Islands... [the company] held extensive mercantile intercourse with all parts of the world."

James Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...

, the fourth President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

, was an acquaintance of Manuel Eyre and spoke of him in his correspondence. http://books.google.com/books?id=CgDktKND-bQC&pg=PA413&ots=6SUanUIrns&dq=Manuel+Eyre&sig=28h954l9BUkhIDW6Zy3fC_MPt5U

Manuel's son, Manuel, Jr., would become Director of the Second Bank of the United States
Second Bank of the United States
The Second Bank of the United States was chartered in 1816, five years after the First Bank of the United States lost its own charter. The Second Bank of the United States was initially headquartered in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, the same as the First Bank, and had branches throughout the...

in 1816
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