Richard Fanning Loper (February 3, 1800 - November 8, 1880) was a captain, merchant, inventor, and shipbuilder in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [1] [2] He had a coastal shipping business. He also got into ship building, racing, and supplied the U.S. government with ships. [3]
He was born in Stonington, Connecticut. He sailed on coastal trips and became a master mariner at age 15. He captained the schooner Nancy Cobband was second mate on the sloop Hero exploration of Antarctica. He settled in Philadelphia and established a packet ship business between that city and Hartford, Connecticut. He married Margaret Mercer Baird. [3]
The Library of Congress has a collection of his and his family's papers. [3]
Thomas Sidney Jesup corresponded with him in 1847 regarding proposal to build a ship. [4]
During the civil war, Loper wrote a detailed defense of his actions after reports and U.S. senate committee hearings that included accusations of profiteering off the government. [5]
