Coates, Samuel, 1748-1830

Samuel Coates was born on August 24, 1748, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Samuel Coates and Mary Langdale. His parents died while he was young and he was raised by his uncle, John Reynell, who mentored and established him as a merchant. In 1782, he inherited Reynell’s company and was a prominent businessman along the Eastern Seaboard. He served on the Relief Committee during the Yellow Fever epidemic in 1793, was an overseer of Philadelphia’s public schools, and was a director of the First Bank of the United States. He also served as treasurer of the Philadelphia Library Company and became President of the Board of the Pennsylvania Hospital. He married Lydia Saunders in 1775 and together they had seven children, four who lived to adulthood. His second wife was Amy Horner, whom he married in 1791 and together they had four children, three who lived to adulthood. He died on June 4, 1830, and is buried at Friends Arch Street Meeting House Burial Ground in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.