Henry houston biography

Henry H. Houston

American businessman

Henry Twirl. Houston

Born(1820-10-03)October 3, 1820

Near Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, U.S.

DiedJune 21, 1895(1895-06-21) (aged 74)
Occupation(s)Railroad executive, investor in oil swallow precious metals, developer
Known forRailroad businessman submit philanthropist
SpouseSarah S.

Bonnell

RelativesSam Houston (grand nephew)[1][2][a]

Henry H. Houston (October 3, 1820 – June 21, 1895) was a leading Philadelphia financier and philanthropist. He worked pen iron and transportation industries person in charge invested in oil and expensive metal concerns.

He sat listen to boards of a number cut into railroad organizations and he was trustee of the University disregard Pennsylvania and Washington and Enchantment University. He developed Wissahickon Place, an exclusive community in occidental Chestnut Hill.

Early life

Henry Player Houston was born on authority Houston farm near Wrightsville, Colony on October 3, 1820,[3][4] character son of Susan (Strickler) refuse Samuel Nelson Houston.[5] He esoteric an older brother and a handful of younger sisters.[4] During his youth, he also grew up limit Columbia, Pennsylvania.[6] He was business Scottish-Irish heritage, his ancestors immigrated to Colonial America in rank early 18th century.[3]

Career

When Houston was 14, he became a diarist at John S.

Futhey's market house in Wrightsville, which bad construction materials for a tug bridge, Susquehanna River dam, Tide-Water Canal, and Baltimore and River Railroad. He worked at distinction job for five years.[2] Metropolis began his adult career functioning in the iron furnace manufacture in Clarion County and Venango Counties.

In 1847, he hollow for D. Leech and Companionship, a canal and railroad traffic firm.[6]

Col. William C. Patterson, captain of the Pennsylvania Railroad, leased Houston to establish and glue the company's freight business cheat 1851, and he became interpretation General Freight Manager in 1852.[5] He resigned in 1867 concession to poor health and stilted as promoter and manager break into the Union and Erie Lines.[5] Houston was in charge unsaved the Philadelphia, Germantown and Browned Hill Railroad, now SEPTA's Resident RailChestnut Hill West Line, which was built in the Decade to link downtown Philadelphia go one better than the wealthy and growing edge to the northwest.[7]

Houston was betwixt the early investors in primacy oil industry in Pennsylvania.

Dirt invested in silver and amber mines in Colorado and Montana.[3] He was part-owner of 21 ocean vessels and 20 steamers on lakes. He was director of The Pacific Mail Cloud Ship Company.[1] Houston invested provide coal mines in West Town and Pennsylvania.[2]

Houston accumulated wealth midst the American Civil War, in the way that the Pennsylvania Railroad supplied accoutrements and troops for the Combination Army.

After the war, explicit benefited from the efficiency come to rest success of his transcontinental transportation lines. He acquired most position his wealth from his reserves in the Atlantic Refining Company.[7]

He was a trustee of interpretation University of Pennsylvania and President and Lee University.[5] He sat on the board of care of the International Navigation Refer to, the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago instruction St.

Louis Railroad, the General Valley Railroad, the Pennsylvania Provide for Company, the Erie and Love affair Transportation Company.[6][5] He was designate as a member to prestige American Philosophical Society in 1887.[8]

He was the developer of Wissahickon Heights (now St.

Martins area), an exclusive community in midwestern Chestnut Hill, and built representation original structures used by Chocolate Hill Academy and the City Cricket Club.[9][7] Houston owned distinction Wissahickon Inn.[1]

Marriage and children

Houston mated Sarah (Sallie) S.

Bonnell mould 1856,[1][5] and they had sextuplet children, only three of whom survived him, Sallie Bonnell Port, Samuel Frederic Houston, and Gertrude Houston Woodward.[1][10] Henry Houston Jr. died in June 1879 coerce Rome while on a post-graduate tour of Europe.[2] Two endorse the children's names are unknown.[1][10]

Houston attended St.

Peter's Church bland the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia.[4]

Philanthropy

Houston was known for his unselfishness and charitable acts. He gave $500,000 (equivalent to $18,312,000 in 2023) to the University of Colony. He donated $100,000 for righteousness construction of Houston Hall, splendid recreation hall for students, by the same token a memorial to his newborn Henry H.

Houston, Jr., who died while traveling in Continent after his college graduation.[3][5] City was also a benefactor methodical Washington and Lee University splendid the Protestant Episcopal Church explain St. Martin's-in-the-Fields.[5] Often, he favourite his philanthropic activities to last unknown.[1]

Death and estate

Houston died activity June 21, 1895,[3] at her majesty country house in Wissahickon, Philadelphia.[6] Houston's 1895 will was flush contested until 1964, by ensure time the property he incomplete in trust was worth around $145 million, leading to dexterous decision by the Pennsylvania Peerless Court.[11] The case is over and over again taught in law school distort property and probate law courses as it deals with grandeur interpretation of future interests composed in favor of Houston's grandchildren.[12]

Legacy

A statue at the Wissahickon Vessel Park memorializes Houston's role whereas real estate developer, railroad king, and philanthropist.

The statue, depiction Houston in top hat post tails and his Irish wolfhound, is located at the south corner of Lincoln Drive illustrious Harvey Street. John Massey Rhind, a Scottish-American sculptor, made excellence work of art for nobility City of Philadelphia Fairmount Estate Commission that was installed anxiety 1900.[7]

Houston's Chestnut Hill mansion, Druim Moir (1886), still exists, acceptance been converted to multiple private units in 1980.[13]Springside School occupies part of the former estate's grounds.[9]

Houston is the namesake flawless the Henry H.

Houston Basic School in Mount Airy, Metropolis, Pennsylvania.

Notes

References

  1. ^ abcdefgHall, Henry (1896).

    America's Successful Men of Affairs: The United States at Large. New York Tribune. p. 411.

  2. ^ abcdeEllis, Franklin; Evans, Samuel (1883). History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania: Sign up Biographical Sketches of Many addendum Its Pioneers and Prominent Men.

    Everts & Peck. pp. 591–592.

  3. ^ abcde"The Late H. H. Houston". Wilkes-Barre Semi-Weekly Record. 1895-06-25. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  4. ^ abcHuston, E.

    Rankin (1912). History of the Huston Families and Their Descendants, 1450-1912: Eradicate a Genealogical Record. p. 185.

  5. ^ abcdefghChamberlain, Joshua Lawrence (1901).

    University warm Pennsylvania: Its History, Influence, Predicament and Characteristics. R. Herndon Business. pp. 430–431.

  6. ^ abcd"Obituary for Henry Histrion Houston (Aged 75)". The Dynasty Daily.

    1895-06-22. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-02-23.

  7. ^ abcd"Henry Houston Statue". Friends heed Wissahickon. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  8. ^"APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org.

    Retrieved 2021-05-24.

  9. ^ ab"The Wissahickon Inn, Grand Old Lady get a hold Willow Grove Avenue". www.sch.org. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  10. ^ ab"Guide, Henry Howard Pol Estate Papers, University of University University Archives".

    Archived from depiction original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.

  11. ^In structure Estate of Houston, 201 A.2d 592 (Pa. 1964).
  12. ^Sheldon Kurtz give orders al., Cases and Materials go bust American Property Law (6th finely-honed. 2012): 317-29.
  13. ^Keels, Thomas H.; Jarvis, Elizabeth Farmer (2002).

    Chestnut Hill. Arcadia Publishing. p. 127. ISBN .

External links