Philip Greely Jr. (November 1, 1809 – March 15, 1854) was an American merchant who served as Collector of Customs for the Port of Boston from 1849 to 1853.
The firm imported a large quantity of molasses and in 1845 opened a sugar house in Portland, Maine with Greely's brother-in-law John Bundy Brown.
Daniel Webster attempted to persuade Taylor's successor, Millard Fillmore, to withdraw Greely's nomination, citing the unpaid debts from his failed business.
Webster wrote that Greely "did not possess the proper weight of general character & reputation" and should have never been appointed.
[10] Greely assured Fillmore that he would support his administration, however he instead backed Winfield Scott for the Whig nomination for president in 1852.