Background
He was born probably in 1737 near Coleraine in northern Ireland, the second son of Jaret Pollock.
He was born probably in 1737 near Coleraine in northern Ireland, the second son of Jaret Pollock.
There is no information about his education.
When twenty-three years of age, he emigrated with his father and older brother to Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Returning to Philadelphia within two years and securing a vessel and crew, he was entrusted by a group of merchants with a cargo of flour and other merchandise which he sold in the West Indies.
As trader and merchant he became connected with an "eminent house" in Havana. During this period of five years, he acquired the use of Spanish. Through his friend, Father Butler, president of the Jesuit College, he was brought into intimate relations with Don Alexander O'Reilly, second in command of the Spanish army in Cuba.
In 1768, Pollock removed to New Orleans. From this center he extended his trading ventures, speculated in lands, and also became a planter. The following year, Count O'Reilly, commanding a force of 2, 600 men, appeared before New Orleans and demanded the cession of Louisiana in conformity with the treaty of 1762. The task of feeding his army proved more difficult than the capture of a town of three thousand inhabitants. Pollock, who had recently come from Baltimore with a boat loaded with flour, proffered it to the General on his own terms. For this generosity Pollock was granted freedom of trade in Louisiana, and a period of marked expansion in his commercial career followed.
At the opening of the Revolution, ammunition was greatly needed by the American army, especially for frontier protection and for winning the friendship of the Indians. In early August 1776, Capt. George Gibson of the Virginia Line, aided by Pollock, procured from Governor Unzaga, O'Reilly's successor, 10, 000 pounds of powder. The greater portion was taken to Fort Pitt and the remainder to Philadelphia. In a letter addressed to the Virginia Council of Safety and in another to the Continental Congress, Pollock furnished information regarding the situation at New Orleans, and tendered his "hearty Services. "
Upon the arrival of Don Bernardo de Galvez , governor of Louisiana, Pollock was presented to him by Unzaga as a "faithful and zealous American in whom he might repose implicit confidence. " A demand by British officers that he be surrendered was refused. Following his advice, Galvez, by the close of the year 1777, had aided the Americans by sending to the upper Mississippi posts and to the frontiers of Pennsylvania and Virginia arms, ammunition, and provisions amounting to $70, 000. For this sum, Pollock became personally responsible.
Early in 1778, he received appointment as commercial agent for the United States. The following year, he accompanied Galvez on an expedition in which Manchac, Baton Rouge and Natchez were captured by the Spaniards. After the capture of Kaskaskia in 1778, George Rogers Clark, following the order of Gov. Patrick Henry, turned to Pollock for assistance. With the aid of American friends in New Orleans and funds obtained by contracting for the use of his slaves on the public works, the latter was enabled to meet Clark's appeals for powder, cannon, and other supplies.
By July 1779, Pollock's advances had so far exhausted his credit that to meet an order from Governor Henry for $10, 000 worth of goods he was compelled to mortgage some of his lands. The promised supplies of flour and meal had not been forwarded to him. During the war, as agent for the United States and, by implication, of Virginia, he made advances of some $300, 000. His claim against Virginia, by January 1782, was $139, 739, and for some months he vainly prayed the Assembly for relief.
He accepted the office of commercial agent for the United States at Havana, with the hope of discharging his debts. Unable to satisfy the claims of former creditors, he was arrested and held in custody eighteen months. Through the influence of Governor Galvez, he returned to Philadelphia, and renewed his petitions to Congress and the Virginia Assembly for relief. From time to time he received small sums, and he was awarded the sum of $90, 000 by Congress (December 1785), but this obligation was not finally met for a number of years. With funds secured on his credit, he fitted out a vessel, loaded it with flour, and returned to the West Indies and New Orleans as a trader. So successful was he, that by 1790 he was able to meet all of his financial obligations in New Orleans. His claim against Virginia, to the amount of $108, 609, was paid by the federal government, and his other accounts against Virginia were eventually paid by that state.
He returned to Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, where he purchased an estate. During 1804 he became a candidate for a seat in Congress but was defeated. He took up his residence in Philadelphia for a short time and then in Baltimore. Some years later he went to live with a married daughter at Pinckneyville, where he died in 1823.
Oliver Pollock became a successful merchant, first in Pennsylvania, later in New Orleans. He was a major financial contributor to the Revolutionary War. Besides, he is said to have invented the U. S. dollar sign when, refusing to use the sign for the British pound, he wrote an S over a U (for "U. S. ").
About 1770, he was married to Margaret O'Brien, who died January 10, 1799. Their family consisted of five sons and three daughters. On November 2, 1805, he married Mrs. Winifred Deady of Baltimore, who died in 1814.
