Neptune's Needle

Merchant, banker, and philanthropist. At age fourteen Girard signed on as a cabin boy for vessels sailing to the West Indies. His first American port of entry was New Orleans. After receiving a license to serve as a ship captain at age twenty-three, Girard was named an officer on a voyage to Port-au-Prince, Saint Dominque (now Haiti), in 1774. He departed the West Indies and set sail for New York with a consignment of sugar and coffee. Rather than returning to France, Girard remained in New York and became an employee of the shipping firm of Thomas Randall & Son. He purchased a half-interest in the ship La Jeune Babe, and on the return trip from St. Pierre, Martinique, in 1776, Girard encountered rough seas and sailed up the Delaware River to Philadelphia, then the largest American port city; it became his new home port.

From the American Revolution through the War of 1812, a span of three decades, Girard was actively engaged in the foreign trade sector. He initially emphasized trade with the West Indies but later extended his horizons to Europe and Asia. During his lifetime, he owned a total of eighteen ships but never more than six at any time. He named three of his finest vessels after French philosophers; Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Voltaire.

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Peter Richards