N.C. Governor Daniel Webster.
The Harbors Act of 1823 was an act passed by the Northern Confederation Council and signed into law by Governor Daniel Webster. The Harbors Act was designed to subsidize improvements to the ports of New York City and Boston with Confederation grants.
The Harbors Act was an early legislative accomplishments of the N.C.'s recently-formed Liberal Party, which represented the interests of a new class of wealthy industrialists such as Cornelius Vanderbilt and Malcolm McGregor. Vanderbilt in particular would have been a major supporter of the act, since he was in the process of building up a fleet of trans-oceanic cargo vessels to carry on trade with Europe.