Wetmore, William S., 1801-1862

William Shepard Wetmore was a China trade merchant born in St. Albans, Vermont in 1801. He traveled to Valparaiso, Chile at the age of 22 as supercargo for a ship owned by Edward Carrington & Co. of Providence, RI. He partnered with Valparaiso merchant Richard Alsop in Alsop & Wetmore, later Alsop, Wetmore and Cryder. He returned to the United States in 1829. In 1833 he traveled to China to establish the merchant house of Wetmore & Co with Joseph Archer, trading in silk, tea, and opium. He returned to New York City in 1839 and established Wetmore & Cryder.

From the description of William Shepard Wetmore papers, 1821-1846 (Harvard Business School). WorldCat record id: 753726694