Jacob Aaron Westervelt was born in Tenafly, N. J. , the son of Aaron Westervelt, who had married his cousin, Vroutie Westervelt. He was descended from Lubbert Lubbertson van Westervelt who had come from Meppel on the Zuider Zee with his brother Willem to New Amsterdam in the Hoop in 1662. They had settled in Bergen County, N. J. , around Hackensack. Aaron, a farmer in comfortable circumstances, removed to New York City in 1805.
Jacob attended the private school of James P. Forrester until his father's death.
Attracted to the sea, he took a special course in surveying and navigation, but voyages to Charleston, S. C. , and France quickly disillusioned him about the glamour of a sailor's life. He began his long shipbuilding career in 1817 when he became apprenticed to Christian Bergh, who ranked with Henry Eckford at the head of New York's East River shipbuilders. In 1820, Bergh released him to go to Charleston where, with slave labor, he built two schooners. Returning to New York in 1822, Westervelt, together with Robert Carnley, became a silent partner of Bergh until 1835, when Bergh retired. During that time, the yard on Corlear's Hook turned out seventy-one vessels, including several of the transatlantic packets which were the crack ships of the day. Their packets included the Montano (1822); Paris (1823); Edward Bonaffe (1824); France (1827); Rhone, Nashville and President (1831); Philadelphia (1832); Montreal and Utica (1833); and Toronto (1835). A year with Carnley in Europe enabled Westervelt to study the most advanced methods of shipbuilding, and when he returned he entered a short-lived partnership with Nathan Roberts, and built two ships across the East River at Williamsburg. In 1841, he entered his third partnership, this time with William Mackey. This lasted about ten years. Westervelt built on his own account for a while and then, in 1859, his son Daniel became the active managing partner for his father until the latter's retirement in 1868. Much of Westervelt's building was done around the old Bergh site on Corlear's Hook. From 1821 to 1868, he is said to have built 247 vessels of all descriptions, including 174 seagoing vessels with a total tonnage of 139, 369. These included at least ninety-one ships and thirty-six steamers. Among the East River shipbuilders of the second quarter of the century, he might be ranked second to William H. Webb and just ahead of Jacob Bell. Continuing at first with packets, Westervelt built the Baltimore (1836), Oneida (1841), and Devonshire (1847). His first important steamships were the 1700-ton Washington and West Point in 1847. The golden years of clipper construction found Westervelt, like Webb and Bell, working overtime. He produced the N. B. Palmer, Eureka, Hornet, and Golden Gate in 1851; Golden City and Contest in 1852; and Golden State, Resolute, and Kathay in 1853. In 1856, he made a ninety-five-day trip to San Francisco in the Sweepstakes, , built by his sons in 1853. His son Aaron also built the Aramingo in 1851. Except for the Eureka, sharp and unpopular, the Westervelt clippers were highly satisfactory, though none attained the perfection of certain McKay and Webb productions. About 1854, he contracted to build the United States steam frigate Brooklyn and during the Civil War he built the hulls for several gunboats. In 1852, during the height of his clipper construction, he was elected mayor of New York City on the Democratic ticket, serving through 1854. In 1870, after his retirement, he became superintendent of docks and from 1873 to his death, he was president of the dock commissioners. He also served many years as president of the Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen. He was a member of the South Reformed Church in New York.
He also served many years as president of the Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen.
On April 25, 1825, he was married to Eliza M. Thompson, who bore him five sons and three daughters.
