Thomas Oliver Larkin (1802-1858), American merchant and diplomat, actively promoted the Bear Flag Revolt in California and helped wrest that province from Mexico for the United States.

Thomas Oliver Larkin was born on Sept. 16, 1802, in Charlestown, Mass. Orphaned at the age of 16, he served an apprenticeship as a bookmaker. In 1821, discouraged by the scant commercial opportunities he saw in New England, he moved to Wilmington, N.C. There and in South Carolina during the next 10 years he operated stores and a sawmill.

In 1831, convinced that he would never become wealthy in the Carolinas, Larkin sailed for California to become a clerk to his half brother, John Cooper, a ship captain living in Monterey. He arrived in April 1832 and within a year opened his own store, prospering in the hide and tallow trade. Soon he had his own flour mill and was trading with Mexico and Hawaii, dealing in...