Few people in the tri-town or the rest of the country would recognize the name of Captain Charles Bryant, but the Rochester native played an important role in America’s history.

Historian and former historical society president Seth Mendell discussed the little known captain at the Mattapoisett Historical Society’s annual Labor Day weekend lecture in Shipyard Park on Sunday afternoon.

“He had such a magnetic personality,” Mendell said.

As a young man, Bryant became captain of a whaling ship, "The America", and spent the better part of his fourth and final voyage on the waters of the Alaskan territory. He became familiar with the area and held a deeper understanding of its value and natural resources.

Bryant retired in 1861 and married a woman from New Bedford. The two moved to East Fairhaven and built a farm on the site now occupied by Stop N’ Shop.

Soon thereafter, in 1867, Bryant was called upon by the U.S. Senate to testify to the value of the Alaskan territory. As a captain of a whaling ship, the Senate members felt that Bryant would be most familiar with the territory, and therefore, the most qualified person to attest to its value. It is largely believed that Bryant’s testimony was responsible for the purchase of Alaska from the Russians in 1867 Mendell told the crowd gathered at the park.

In 1868, the U.S. Department of Treasury appointed Bryant as the territorial governor of Alaska.

The sea captain turned politician proved himself to be an advocate for the local people in what would become, almost a century later, the country’s 49th state.

Through profits made off of a series of government programs, Bryant was able to get involved with poverty stricken native communities on the Alaskan coast line. Through these programs he built libraries, hospitals, schools and clinics to help these small villages get back on their feet.

Upon returning from Alaska, Bryant and his wife moved to Mattapoisett and opened the Bayview Inn, now known as the Mattapoisett Inn. Bryant also served actively on the school board for many years before his passing in 1905 at the age of 83.

“He touched so many lives and we are so lucky to have him as part out of personal history,” Mendell said.