William Hadfield

William Hadfield (1806-1887) was a British writer on Brazil. Hadfield entered commercial life in South America at a very early age, and spent some of the most important years of his life there. He was the first secretary of the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway, secretary to the South American General Steam Navigation Company, and both by literary and commercial effort did much to open up South America to British enterprise and capital. This was without pecuniary benefit to himself, as in...See more

William Hadfield (1806-1887) was a British writer on Brazil. Hadfield entered commercial life in South America at a very early age, and spent some of the most important years of his life there. He was the first secretary of the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway, secretary to the South American General Steam Navigation Company, and both by literary and commercial effort did much to open up South America to British enterprise and capital. This was without pecuniary benefit to himself, as in 1847, in consequence of an execution levied on his goods, he was driven to bankruptcy.[1] In 1863 Hadfield founded in London The South American Journal and Brazil and River Plate Mail (the first number was published 7 November), of which he was chief editor till his death, on 14 August 1887. He was buried at St. Peter's, Walthamstow, beside his wife, who had predeceased him. See less