Cyrus Wakefield

Cyrus Wakefield (7 February 1811 Roxbury, New Hampshire – 26 October 1873 Boston) was a manufacturer of rattan furniture and carriage bodies, and the founder of the Wakefield Rattan Company, the largest manufacturer at the time of rattan products. Wakefield, Massachusetts is named for him.

Biography

About 1827 he went to Boston, where he engaged in trade. He originated the rattan business in the United States, and discovered several methods of utilizing the rattan waste, while of the split rattans he made furniture and carriage bodies. He established a large factory for these manufactures in South Reading, Massachusetts, where his rattan works covered seven acres of ground. In 1868 South Reading voted to change its name to Wakefield, in recognition of his benefactions, particularly the gift of a town-hall that cost $100,000. He also gave $100,000 to Harvard University, and left other large philanthropic bequests.