# Haley — Uncle Tom’s Cabin character guide

> Haley in Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mr. Haley, Mas'r Haley

**First appearance:** 0000-volume-i-i-in-which-the-reader-is-introduced-to-a-man-of-humanity

## Snapshot

A slave trader whose cheerful coarseness and businesslike cruelty make him the novel's first and most ordinary villain.

## Who they are

Haley is the trader who purchases Tom and Harry from Mr. Shelby, a man who discusses human beings with the same casual calculation he applies to livestock. His callousness is not exceptional but routine, which is precisely the point: he represents the everyday commerce that makes slavery profitable and respectable. His brief, vivid presence in the novel's opening chapters establishes the moral stakes of the entire story.

## Relationships

### [Uncle Tom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/uncle_tom)

_professional_

Haley is the slave trader who first purchases Tom, treating him as a commodity to be bought and sold for profit.

### [Samuel Morris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/samuel_morris)

_professional_

Haley and Samuel Morris are fellow slave traders who collaborate and compete in the business of human trafficking.

### [Uncle Tom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/uncle_tom)

_professional_

Haley is the slave trader who first purchases Tom, treating him as a commodity to be bought and sold for profit.

### [Samuel Morris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/samuel_morris)

_professional_

Haley and Samuel Morris are fellow slave traders who collaborate and compete in the business of human trafficking.

### [Uncle Tom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/uncle_tom)

_professional_

Haley is the slave trader who first purchases Tom, treating him as a commodity to be bought and sold for profit.

### [Samuel Morris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/samuel_morris)

_professional_

Haley and Samuel Morris are fellow slave traders who collaborate and compete in the business of human trafficking.

## In the story

### [In Which the Reader Is Introduced to a Man of Humanity](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-i-i-in-which-the-reader-is-introduced-to-a-man-of-humanity)

A coarse and calculating slave trader who pressures Mr. Shelby into the sale and expresses interest in buying Eliza as well.

### [Showing the Feelings of Living Property on Changing Owners](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-i-v-showing-the-feelings-of-living-property-on-changing-owners)

The slave trader who has purchased Tom and Harry; described as a man of leather, cold and unrelenting.

### [VI: Discovery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-i-vi-discovery)

Angry and suspicious upon learning of Eliza's escape, he prepares to pursue her.

### [VII: The Mother’s Struggle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-i-vii-the-mother-s-struggle)

The slave trader pursuing Eliza, frustrated by delays and misled by Sam and Andy.

### [Eliza's Escape](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-i-viii-eliza-s-escape)

Pursues Eliza but is thwarted by the river; later negotiates with slave catchers.

### [X: The Property Is Carried Off](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-i-x-the-property-is-carried-off)

Haley takes possession of Tom, has him fettered, and drives him away from the Shelby estate.

### [XII: Select Incident of Lawful Trade](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-i-xii-select-incident-of-lawful-trade)

Haley calculates Tom's value, reads auction advertisements, and callously separates Lucy from her child, justifying it as business.

### [XIV: Evangeline](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/chapters/volume-i-xiv-evangeline)

The slave trader who is selling Tom to St. Clare.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters/haley
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_tom_s_cabin_se/characters