Thomas Robinson Hazard (1797-1886), also known as Shepherd Tom was a nineteenth century manufacturer, American author, egalitarian, social reformer, abolitionist, and spiritualist. In his activities and writings Hazard promoted women's rights, the improvement of public schools and medical institutions, the care of the poor and infirm, argued against the death penalty, and sought the relocation of former slaves to Africa. Throughout his life he frequently sought to give voice to the downtrodden and underprivileged. Following the death of his two daughters and wife, Hazard began investigating spiritualism and spiritual communication, a topic which he later published on. In addition, Hazard also produced texts on local history, Rhode Island folklore, and agriculture. Given the scope of his activities and writings Hazard leaves behind a large corpus of writer and personal correspondence which reflect the ideas, industriousness, and political perspectives of the period in America. …show more content…
Thomas Hazard was also the oldest brother of Rowland Gibson Hazard (1801-1888) a successful railroad promoter, wool manufacturer, and philosophical author and a distant relation to Thomas Hazard (1610-1677) a founder of the colony of Rhode Island. Raised with Quaker faith, Thomas Hazard received a limited educated at the Friend's School in Westtown Pennsylvania between 1808 and 1811. Following his schooling, Hazard returned to take up his father's trade and was employed in the family textile mill and by 1821 became an independent wool carder. Later Hazard also became a farmer after acquiring a large acreage for pasturing and receiving a gift of two ewes, which in turn led him to developing and interest in agriculture and resulted in him becoming popularly known as "Shepherd