Timothy Dexter was businessman, but he had few business sense. He attempted to sell coal to Newcastle and bed warmers to the tropics. Yet, despite his seemingly strange ventures, Dexter often managed to turn a profit. Born in 1747 in Malden, Massachusetts, Dexter rose from humble beginnings to amass a considerable fortune, not through careful planning or education, but seemingly by sheer luck and outrageous confidence. What makes his story truly fascinating is not just his financial success, but the bizarre, often comical manner in which he lived and spent his fortune.
Timothy Dexter’s house in Newburyport, Massachusetts, USA. Credit: “Famous Colonial Houses” by Paul M. Hollister.
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Timothy Dexter’s Curious Business Ventures
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