Capt. Henry Prentiss

Cap. Henry Prentiss participated in the Tea Party at the age of 24.

He was born on March 7th, 1749 and died on August 31, 1821 when he was 73 years old. Other than his role in the destruction of tea, it is known that Henry Prentiss fought in the Revolutionary war and earned the rank of Captain. He served under Gen. Geo. Washington at Cambridge and Long Island. He was at the crossing of the Delaware, and the Battle of Trenton.

During the time of the famous tea protest Mr. Prentiss like many other patriots, belonged to one of Boston’s Masonic organizations.

Before the revolution he was an established Boston merchant, a large cotton manufacturer, and a successful horticulturist. In historic document he described being “a man whose name brings to old residents of Boston and Cambridge the memory of many a story of his shrewdness and intelligence.”

Sources:

• http://www.boston-tea-party.org/participants/henry-prentiss.html
• http://www.prenticenet.com/people/america/bios/capt_henry_prentiss.php