Hays, Moses Michael, 1739-1805

Moses Michael Hays was an American banker, merchant, philanthropist, and a prominent Boston Jewish citizen. He helped establish the New England Masonic movement and in 1792 was elected as Grand Master, with Paul Revere as his deputy. Born in New York City he married Rachel Myers, younger sister of Myer Myers, a famed New York silversmith. The couple moved to Newport, Rhode Island in 1769, where Hays profited in the trans-Atlantic trade.

The Hays family left Newport for Boston ahead of the British occupation in 1776. He opened a shipping office in Boston and was among the first merchants there to underwrite shipbuilding, trade and insurance to newly opened Far Eastern markets. In 1784, Hays became a founder and the first depositor of the Massachusetts Bank, still doing business today as part of the Bank of America.