Nix v. Hedden one of the first companies to ship produce from Virginia, Florida, and Bermuda to New York. In 1883, President Chester A. Arthur signed the Tariff Act of March 3, 1883, requiring a tax to be paid on imported vegetables, but not fruit. The John Nix & Co. company filed a suit against Edward L. Hedden, Collector of the Port of New York, to recover back duties paid under protest. They argued against the tariff by pointing out that, botanically, a tomato is a fruit due to its seed-bearing structure growing from the flowering part of a plant. At the trial,
Gilbert Hedden included finding an inscribed stone, believed to be Masonic, at Joudrey's Cove in 1936. Lives and vast amounts of wealth were lost. The treasure still remains, and other treasure hunters have since followed. Hedden is the most notable due to his large investments, engineering background, and early discoveries. Gilbert Hedden Gilbert Dayton Hedden, Sr. (April 6, 1897 – September 14, 1974) was an American industrialist, politician and treasure hunter. He was Mayor of Chatham Borough, New Jersey from 1934 to 1938 and is most notable today for the progress he made in the 1930s towards solving the Oak Island treasure