William Bayard Jr.

Biography

William Bayard Jr. (1761–1826) was a prominent New York merchant whose business activities contributed to the city's commercial development during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. As a member of a distinguished merchant family, he participated in the trade networks that characterized New York's growing economic importance.

Bayard's career reflected the opportunities and challenges of commerce during the early republic, a period of significant expansion for American trade and enterprise. His long life witnessed the transformation of New York into a major commercial center.