William Molineux

Who was William Molineux?

There are several people bearing the name of William Molyneux: for the list, see Molyneux

William Molineux was a hardware merchant in colonial Boston of Huguenot descent best known for his role in the Boston Tea Party of 1773 and earlier political protests

Molineux was unusual among the Boston Whigs in having been born in England and emigrating to Massachusetts. He was also not part of the province's Congregationalist orthodoxy, attending an Anglican church and reportedly dabbling with deist views. Insurance records show that Molineux broke British trade laws in his business by sending ships to the Dutch Republic, so he might have been motivated to join the radical cause by increased customs duties and enforcement in the 1760s. Colleagues like John Adams described him as a volatile man.

Molineux rose to prominence leading committees and crowds in demonstrations against the Townshend Acts, seizures by customs officers, and the stationing of British troops in Boston. He also organized a public works effort to employ the town's poor at spinning and weaving linen. With Doctor Thomas Young he was one of the most radical among the genteel Whig organizers who sought to steer public demonstrations in Boston after 1765. For example, on January 18, 1770, he advocated a march on acting governor Thomas Hutchinson's mansion despite warnings that such an act against the king's representative was tantamount to treason, and reportedly threatened to kill himself if his colleagues did not agree.