Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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Wealth connected to slavery-related maritime commerce
Historical accounts associate the family's initial fortune with the West India trade and interconnected commercial networks that depended in part on the transatlantic slave economy. The reference material does not identify a single discrete incident or legal proceeding, so this is recorded as a historical legacy issue rather than a dated case.
Participation in the China opium trade
Members of the extended family and associated Boston trading houses participated in commerce involving opium imported into China. Robert Bennet Forbes is described as having a more direct role in the importing side of this trade than John Murray Forbes. The subject is a major ethical controversy in assessments of the family's wealth.