7 　Joseph Heco Story


Humanity Above Nation
Joseph Heco’s life story illustrates the kindness and generosity of many individuals who, without hope of gain, reached out to help a stranger from another land. It demonstrates that what makes us human can overcome differences of culture and politics.

Joseph Heco and his crewmates of the Eiriki Maru could not have survived their shipwreck in 1850 if not for the help of Capt. William Jennings of the Auckland. When you consider Heco and his friends, a total of 17 men, were fed, housed and transported over a period of 45 days to San Francisco, by American merchant sailors who knew nothing of the Japanese language or culture, it is no small feat.

In San Francisco, the Japanese were wards of the US Government intended to be returned to their home country on Commodore Perry’s expedition to open trade with Japan. They were housed aboard the Polk, a revenue cutter, for a year. Thomas Troy, the Master-at-Arms, was fascinated with Japan and its people. He took it upon himself to learn their language, and became a close friend of Heco’s. When the Perry expedition was delayed in Hong Kong in 1852, Troy offered to take Heco and two other Japanese crewmates, Tora and Kame,

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back to San Francisco with him at his own expense so they may learn English as they wait for Japanese ports to open to foreign ships.

It was through Thomas Troy that Heco met Beverly C, Sanders, prominent businessman and Collector of Customs in San Francisco. When Troy and Heco helped translate for a shipwrecked Japanese sailor who was brought to the Customs office, Sanders was so impressed by young Heco that he asked the 15-year-old to live with him so he may receive an education. Heco gratefully accepted and over the years came to see Sanders as his father. When Sanders retired from the Customs office in 1853, he took Heco with him to live in Baltimore. Heco benefited a great deal from Sanders’ power and influence, meeting President Franklin Pierce at the White House. Heco would in turn be introduced to Presidents James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln—in each case the first Japanese to shake their hands. Heco received his name “Joseph” when he was baptized as a Catholic in 1854, at the urging of Beverly Sanders.