Jacob Rodrigues Rivera | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1717 Spain |
| Died | February 18, 1789 Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Occupations | Merchant, shipowner, candle manufacturer |
| Known for | Pioneer of the spermaceti candle industry; co-founder of the Newport congregation (Touro Synagogue) |
| Relatives | Aaron Lopez (son-in-law) |
Jacob Rodrigues Rivera (also spelled Rodriguez; 1717 – February 18, 1789) was a Spanish-born Sephardic Jewish merchant in Newport, Rhode Island. A leading figure in the colonial spermaceti candle industry, he was a founder of Newport's Jewish congregation, Yeshuat Israel, whose synagogue is now the Touro Synagogue, and the father-in-law and business associate of the merchant Aaron Lopez.
Rivera was born in Spain in 1717, the son of Abraham Rodrigues Rivera. He was naturalized in New York in 1746 and soon afterward moved to Newport.
In the two decades before the American Revolution, Rivera became a prominent merchant shipper in Newport, trading in numerous commodities, including manufactured goods, tea, lumber, textiles and whale oil. His chief interest, which was a pioneering one, was the manufacture of spermaceti candles, made from a waxy substance obtained from sperm whales, which soon became one of Newport's leading industries. Surviving receipts record his sales of spermaceti candles to the Newport merchant Thomas Vernon in 1759 and 1764.
In 1761 Rivera was a charter member of the United Company of Spermaceti Chandlers, an association of candle manufacturers, and he led its efforts to regulate competition in the trade. Around 1760 he took as a partner Henry Collins, a Newport cultural leader and a founder of the Redwood Library, which Rivera also supported.
Rivera is also known for his association with his son-in-law Aaron Lopez, who became the wealthiest merchant in Newport; Rivera shared in many of Lopez's ventures.
Rivera was a founder of Newport's Jewish congregation, Yeshuat Israel. In 1759 he was one of three trustees, with Moses Levy and Isaac Hart, who acquired the land on which the congregation's synagogue was built. He served as president of the congregation in 1760.
During the Revolution, when the British occupied Newport, Rivera accompanied Lopez to Leicester, Massachusetts, where he took up farming. After Lopez's death in 1782, Rivera returned to Newport and re-established himself there. He died in Newport on February 18, 1789.