American sea merchant, opium smuggler, and philanthropist
1787 CE
to 1862 CE
John Perkins Cushing (April 22, 1787 – 1862), called "Ku-Shing" by the Chinese, is a wealthy Boston sea merchant, opium smuggler, and philanthropist.
His sixty-foot pilot schooner, the Sylph, wins the first recorded American yacht race in 1832, and the town of Belmont, Massachusetts is named after his estate.