SANDS, Comfort [1748-1834] -- American merchant

Sands Point, Long Island, NY, is named for him.

Comfort Sands (1748-1843) lived far longer than most people of his time and had an illustrious carreer like his brother, the Colonel [John IV, 1737-1811]. ... A substantial businessman, he was a founding director of the Bank of New York in 1784. Comfort was 17 when he was part of a group that burned 10 bales of papers brought over from London. Four years later, he joined an association that vowed not to import goods from Great Britain until the repeal of the Tea Act and the Act imposing duties on glass and paint. In 1774, he was appointed by Congress to be a member of the Committee of 60, to carry out the non-importation resolution. He was subsequently elected a member of the Provincial Congress and served on the Committee of Safety. Although he stayed away from Long Island to avoid capture during the war, he supported the Revolution by serving on various provisional bodies. He also aided the cause [by] using merchant ships that he owned, and lost one vessal to the British that had a cargo worth £10,000. He later accepted an appointment as auditor general of the State of New York, a position he held until his resignation in 1782. [Kent, Joan Gay; Discovering Sands Point; 2000, ISBN 0-9705843-0-X]

• Son: ¤SANDS, Robert Charles
• Brother: ¤SANDS, Joshua