Jesse Root Grant  (January 23, 1794 – June 29, 1873) was an American farmer, tanner and successful leather merchant who owned tanneries and leather goods shops in several different states throughout his adult life. He is best known as the father of Ulysses S. Grant and the one who introduced Ulysses to military life at West Point. Jesse was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and was one of seven children. He was a self-made man who rose from poverty to become a wealthy merchant.

At age five, Jesse moved to Ohio with his family, who settled in the Ohio River Valley. Unable to support all his children Jesse's father arranged for his apprenticeship at farms and tanneries during his youth. Jesse married Hannah Simpson Grant and they became the parents of three boys and three girls, with Ulysses being their oldest. Raised in a poor family that was forced to split up and having to work at an early age, Jesse persistently encouraged his sons in the ways of education, industry and hard work, his methods sometimes testing his father-son relationship with Ulysses. As a young man he worked for and came to know Owen Brown^{[lower-alpha 1]} and soon acquired strong abolitionist sympathies. Jesse was known to be outspoken, had strong opinions about politics and often boasted about his son, often referring to him as "my Ulysses".

Originally a Jacksonian, Jesse eventually broke with the Democrats as he developed anti-slavery leanings, and for a time wrote a number of controversial editorials in support of abolition and other issues. He became involved in local politics and was elected mayor in Georgetown and later, Bethel, both in Ohio. During the American Civil War Jesse and two business partners became involved in cotton speculation and imposed on his son, Ulysses, to use his authority to secure early access to a portion of occupied territory. Jesse stood next to his son while Ulysses was sworn in as president, thereafter becoming a frequent visitor to the White House. He lived out his final years in Covington, Kentucky. Much has been learned about the earlier years of Ulysses Grant from letters between father and son, as well as other source material relating to Jesse's background and business.

Jesse's paternal ancestor, Matthew Grant, and wife Priscilla and their infant daughter, embarked from Plymouth, England, aboard the Mary and John with a party of 140 emigrants who had been gathered chiefly from South West England. This Pilgrim party was one of many of the Puritan movement that fled England to escape religious persecution. After a 70-day journey the party arrived at Massachusetts Bay colony in Nantasket, on May 30, 1630, and soon moved to and settled in Windsor, Connecticut. Matthew, referred to by the town folk as Honest Matthew Grant, was a highly trusted member of the community and became a surveyor and the town clerk.^[1] Later generations of the extended Grant family migrated westward into Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky.^[2] Jesse's grandfather Noah Grant, and his brother Solomon, fought and died in the French and Indian War, and his son, (Jesse's father) also named Noah, served in the American Revolution, including the Battle of Bunker Hill, soon advancing to the rank of captain.^[3]

Jesse's father, Noah Grant, was married to his first wife, Anna Richardson, who became the parents of two children, Solomon and Peter Grant. Upon Noah's return from service in 1787 Anna died. On March 4, 1792, at Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Noah married his second wife, Rachael Kelly, who became Jesse's mother with the birth of her first born child on January 23, 1794.^[4] Noah named Jesse after the Honorable Jesse Root, Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Connecticut.^[5] In 1799, when Jesse was age five, Noah moved his family to East Liverpool, and again in 1804, to Deerfield, both in Ohio. Noah worked in a shoe shop, earning a modest wage in Greensburg. In 1805, at age 9, Jesse's mother died, in Deerfield.^[6]

With little income and unable to provide enough for all his children, Noah Grant had the eleven year old Jesse apprenticed out to various families. Beginning in 1805, from 11 to 14 years old, Jesse worked in Ohio at undesignated farms earning his keep and making little extra money. He didn't receive a formal education in his youth and later through years of apprenticeship became self-taught in the ways of general education and business. Placing great value on the merits of education he vowed that his sons would not have to endure the same disadvantage.^[7] With no public schools in most of Ohio in the early 1800s, Jesse would later send his son Ulysses to private schools.^[8]

In 1808 Jesse's father arranged for his apprenticeship with a judge, George Tod, of Youngstown, Ohio.^[9] Jesse, age 14, lived there with his oldest sibling, Susan, while he worked under an apprenticeship that lasted four years. At the Tod residence the young Grants were treated like one of the family, where they grew to love and respect George, his wife and family.^[10] Jesse was sent to school three months a year, for two years.^[11] Among Jesse's playmates was the young David Tod, who would later become Governor of Ohio during the Civil War.^[9] Later in life Jesse often spoke of them in terms of affection and admiration.^[10] Working for the judge the uneducated Jesse soon learned to read and write and acquired an interest in politics, and later after he married, would even study grammar.^[11] A year after his commencement into apprenticeship Jesse's father Noah died, leaving him an orphan and the family very poor.^[8]

At age 16 Jesse moved to Maysville, Kentucky in 1812 to work for his half brother Peter in a tannery. Under his guidance, Jesse learned the tanning and leather goods trade. After completion of his training and honoring his commitment to Peter, he moved back to his boyhood town of Deerfield, Ohio,^[12][13] in 1815 and established his own tannery with little money, frugality and constant effort.^[14]

By 1814 Jesse found employment at a tannery 15 miles away in Ravenna, Ohio, owned by the wealthy Owen Brown (father of the famous John Brown who led the raid at Harpers Ferry). Owen was a cattle breeder and land speculator who operated a successful tannery in Hudson, Ohio.^{[lower-alpha 2]} Owen was a stout and outspoken abolitionist and Jesse often listened to his public orations against slavery, where he became familiar with and supportive of the cause.^[15][16] During this time Jesse lived under the same roof as John Brown, became friends and came to know his abolitionist philosophy. Later in life Jesse would describe John Brown as "a man of great purity of character, of high moral and physical courage, but a fanatic and extremist in whatever he advocated."^[10][13] In 1817 Jesse, and a John F. Wells, were offered work in a large tannery in Ravenna, now owned and managed by Mrs. Mary Mason, the widow of Jared Mason. She later married Wells and sold the tannery to Jesse who became the sole owner. Jesse sold and shipped much of his leather to a merchant in Point Pleasant, which would become his future home in 1820. During this time Jesse took up lodging at an inn across the street from the tannery. Within two years he managed to save some $1500. Jesse's father Noah Grant died in Maysville, Kentucky, on February 14, 1819.^[17][16]  That year, at age 25, Jesse became ill and was sent to Kentucky to recover from malaria, while his affliction sickness lasted more than a year. Unable to work and with creditors pressing he lost most of his savings. In 1820, when he was partially recovered and able to travel short distances, he moved to Maysville and lived with relatives for several weeks.^[18] After recovering he returned to Ohio and the tannery business.^[16]

Jesse Grant's greater family was large, residing in both Ohio and in the slave state of Kentucky.^[19] In 1820, he found work for a brief period at a tannery in Bethel, Ohio. Later that year, as an experienced tanner, he moved to Point Pleasant on the Ohio River and gained the position of foreman in a new tannery owned by Thomas Page.^[20] He soon met his future wife, Hannah Simpson, whose grandfather had arrived at Philadelphia in 1762.^[21] On June 24, 1821, at age 27, Jesse Grant married Hannah Simpson and settled in Point Pleasant.^[22] Their marriage brought six children. Their son Ulysses, Hiram Ulysses Grant, was the oldest, born April 27, 1822.^[12][23] Samuel Simpson,^{[lower-alpha 3]} was born September 23, 1825, who became a successful merchant in Galena; Their first daughter, Clara B. was born December 11, 1828; Second daughter Virginia Paine was born February 20, 1832; Their third son, Orvil Lynch, was born May 15, 1835; Their third daughter and youngest child was Mary Frances, born July 30, 1839.^[24] By October 1823, Jesse had managed to save about $1100 (~$34,934 in 2023) to start his own tannery in Georgetown and moved the family there to start his new business.^[16] Upon arrival to Georgetown Jesse contacted the county Justice of the Peace, Thomas L. Hamer, on August 12, 1823, paid $50 and secured the deed to a lot not far from Georgetown Square. Here he built a two-story brick house where Ulysses, still an only child, and future brothers and sisters would be raised for the next sixteen years. On the same street he set up his tannery, a half block south from his house.^[25] Jesse also cultivated 30 acres of land while managing 50 acres of forest.^[26] With a successful business Jesse was able to pay off the deed within one year. When his second son, Samuel Simpson, was born Jesse built one of several additions to the home, eventually doubling the size of the house.^[27]

During the American Civil War Jesse resided in Covington, Kentucky, which remained neutral during that war. Jesse's son Simpson died of tuberculosis in September, 1861.^[65] His son Ulysses brought his children to stay with him believing they would be safer there.

Jesse followed the continuing successes of Ulysses as he advanced in rank and assumed command of major campaigns. When controversial stories appeared in newspapers about the heavy casualties suffered under Generals Prentiss and McClernand at the Battle of Shiloh under the command of Ulysses S. Grant, Jesse defended his son and responded with numerous editorials in rebuttal in various Cincinnati newspapers in such a manner as to suggest he was speaking for his son the General. Jesse also wrote a heated letter to Governor Tod of Ohio, blaming "five thousand cowards" who threw down their arms and fled, for the high casualties that occurred at the battle.^[66] Jesse's letters became so frequent that General Grant, who had much distrust for newspapers and their coverage of the war, had to step in and forbid him from writing to the newspapers. In a letter to his father, Ulysses wrote, "my worst enemy could do me no more injury than you are doing".^[67]

As the war caused the price of cotton to escalate it invited many speculators, moving about in the midst of a major and prolonged military campaign against Vicksburg, causing many problems for the Union Army.^[68] At this time Jesse became involved in cotton speculation and arrived with his two partners, the Mack Brothers from Cincinnati, who had encouraged him to use his son's (General Grant) influence to obtain permits to purchase cotton in a war district. Traveling from Ohio they arrived unexpectedly at General Grant's headquarters in northern Mississippi while he was busy with commanding a major campaign. Grant had already received reports from Sherman and others of Jewish merchants who were "highly visible" among the trading which was occurring by both northern and southern interests, often without permits. 

 By the time Jesse and his two Jewish partners arrived with a request for permits to operate, they were immediately rebuffed by an angered General Grant for presuming on the Army and his patience. The incident had been indicative of the problem with cotton speculators in general who often collaborated with Union Officers, much to the frustration of General Grant. Various modern historians believe that Jesse's arrival with two prominent Jewish cotton speculators from Cincinnati is largely what led Grant in 1862 to issue General Order 11 expelling all Jews from his district.^[69] Jesse and his partners were instructed to leave the district on the next train going north. The incident proved to be an embarrassment for Grant which once again placed his father and himself on opposing sides of a serious issue.^[70] Later, in a letter to Congressman Washburne, Jesse defended his son's action, claiming the Order was "issued by express instructions from Washington".^[71]

After the war, on February 6, 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated Jesse for Postmaster in Covington, Kentucky, having the charge of a first class post office in a city numbering approximately thirty thousand residents.^[4] As President Ulysses Grant nominated him for another term on February 9, 1870, to continue after his first term had expired. The nomination was confirmed on March 2.^[16][72][73]

Jesse's business ventures proved to be very successful and he was now worth more than $100,000. He intended to give his children the greater part of his estate, however Ulysses didn't want any of it, feeling he had done nothing to deserve it. Instead Jesse gave $1000 to each of Ulysses' children for their education, with the remainder of his estate going to his other sons and daughters.^[74]

When Ulysses S. Grant was sworn in as President, Jesse was standing nearby, as Chief Justice Salmon Chase administered the Oath of Office, March 4, 1869. Jesse had arrived without his wife Hannah, who disliked publicity and never came to the White House. Asked by reporters where his wife was, Jesse spoke briefly, informing all that she had been invited but declined. Before the inauguration Jesse had inquired about lodging for himself and family, where Ulysses informed him that his extra rooms had been promised to friends. Some historians suggest that Ulysses at this time was on uneasy terms with his father and made no further effort to secure lodging for Jesse and family.^[75]

In the few remaining years of Jesse's life he was a frequent visitor to his son the president at the White House. He was always eager to comment to reporters about his son's activities and the business of the day. Jesse died June 29, 1873, in Covington, Kentucky, shortly after President Grant began his second term.^[76] His funeral was held at the Union Methodist Episcopal Church in Covington. Jesse was buried at Spring Grove Cemetery, in Cincinnati, Ohio.^[77] His wife, Hannah, died ten years later in 1883, in Jersey City, New Jersey, just two years before their son Ulysses died.^[78]

• Bibliography of Ulysses S. Grant
• Bibliography of the American Civil War