Richard Fanning Loper
Richard Fanning Loper was a captain, merchant, inventor, and shipbuilder in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He had a coastal shipping business. He also got into ship building, racing, and supplied the U.S. government with ships.
Early life
Loper was born in Stonington, Connecticut. He sailed on coastal trips and became a master mariner at age 15. He captained the schooner Nancy Cobband was second mate on the sloop Hero exploration of Antarctica.Business career
He settled in Philadelphia and established a packet ship business between that city and Hartford, Connecticut. He married Margaret Mercer Baird.Thomas Sidney Jesup corresponded with him in 1847 regarding proposal to build a ship.
During the civil war, Loper wrote a detailed defense of his actions after reports and U.S. senate committee hearings that included accusations of profiteering off the government.