Jesse Root Grant

Jesse Root Grant  (January 23, 1794 – June 29, 1873) was an American farmer, tanner and successful leather merchant who owned tanneries and leather goods shops in several different states throughout his adult life. He is best known as the father of Ulysses S. Grant and the one who introduced Ulysses to military life at West Point. Jesse was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and was one of seven children. He was a self-made man who rose from poverty to become a wealthy merchant.

At age five, Jesse moved to Ohio with his family, who settled in the Ohio River Valley. Unable to support all his children Jesse's father arranged for his apprenticeship at farms and tanneries during his youth. Jesse married Hannah Simpson Grant and they became the parents of three boys and three girls, with Ulysses being their oldest. Raised in a poor family that was forced to split up and having to work at an early age, Jesse persistently encouraged his sons in the ways of education, industry and hard work, his methods sometimes testing his father-son relationship with Ulysses. As a young man he worked for and came to know Owen Brown and soon acquired strong abolitionist sympathies. Jesse was known to be outspoken, had strong opinions about politics and often boasted about his son, often referring to him as "my Ulysses".

Originally a Jacksonian, Jesse eventually broke with the Democrats as he developed anti-slavery leanings, and for a time wrote a number of controversial editorials in support of abolition and other issues. He became involved in local politics and was elected mayor in Georgetown and later, Bethel, both in Ohio. During the American Civil War Jesse and two business partners became involved in cotton speculation and imposed on his son, Ulysses, to use his authority to secure early access to a portion of occupied territory. Jesse stood next to his son while Ulysses was sworn in as president, thereafter becoming a frequent visitor to the White House. He lived out his final years in Covington, Kentucky. Much has been learned about the earlier years of Ulysses Grant from letters between father and son, as well as other source material relating to Jesse's background and business. Provided by Wikipedia