biography
| name: |
Ames, Oakes (politics)
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1804–73)
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| biography:
| Businessman and US representative, born in Easton, Massachusetts, USA. At age 16 he began working at Oliver Ames & Co, his father's shovel factory, and when his father retired (1844), he took over the company with his brother, Oliver Jr. Their business flourished, riding the waves of the California gold rush, the Australian gold rush, the westward exodus, and the Civil War. Active in politics, he served in the US House of Representatives (Republican, Massachusetts, 1863–73). In 1865 he joined Crédit Mobilier, financiers of the Union Pacific Railroad, and in 1872 he was investigated for selling Crédit Mobilier railroad stock to Congressmen below par value in order to influence their votes on behalf of the financial scheme. His actions were condemned by a House resolution in 1873 and he died soon after. |
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