T. J. Southard [SEP] industry
a rescue prompted the United States Congress to alter the statute covering Lifesaving Medals to allow them to be awarded for the first time to non-Americans. A total of 27 Lifesaving Medals were awarded over the "Ellen Southard" disaster.
Life and career Other activities.
In addition to his shipbuilding company and merchant fleet, T. J. Southard was a major contributor in numerous other ways to the economic and social development of his home town of Richmond and the surrounding locale. He founded the Southard Cotton Mill, as well as
some 44 years, the Southard shipyard built between 75 and 100 wooden-hulled sailing ships of all kinds, large and small, including schooners, barks, brigs and full-rigged ships, his vessels having "an industry-wide reputation for reliability of workmanship and trimness of line." T. J. Southard owned shares in many of the ships he built, and was the first local shipbuilder to own 100% of a ship (the ship's captain in this era usually being obliged to own at least one-sixteenth