William H. Osborn

American businessman (1820–1894)

William H. Osborn

President of the Illinois Central Railroad
In office
December 1, 1855 – July 11, 1865
Preceded by| John N. A. Griswold
Succeeded by| John M. Douglas
Personal details
Born|

William Henry Osborn

(1820-12-21)December 21, 1820
Salem, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died| March 2, 1894(1894-03-02) (aged 73)
New York City, U.S.
Spouse|

Virginia Reed Sturges

(m. 1853)​

Relations|

* Henry Osborn Jr. (grandson)
* Frederick Osborn (grandson)
* Aileen Osborn Webb (granddaughter)

Children|

* Henry Sr.
* William

Occupation|

* Businessman
* philanthropist

William Henry Osborn (December 21, 1820 – March 2, 1894)[1] was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was a railroad tycoon who, as head of the Illinois Central Railroad and later the Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans Railroad, became one of the most prominent railroad leaders in the United States. A friend and patron of the painter Frederic Edwin Church, he was an avid art collector. His two sons went on to become presidents of prominent museums in New York City.

## Early life

[edit]

Osborn was born to a farming family on December 21, 1820, in Salem, Massachusetts, where he was educated. He was the son of William Osborn and Lucy (née Bowditch) Osborn.[2]

His first paternal American ancestor in the United States was William Osborn, who moved from England in 1684 and settled in Salem.[3] From his mother's family, he was probably descended from the Salem navigator, Nathaniel Bowditch.[4]

## Career

[edit]

Osborn began his career with the Boston East India shipping company.[2] In 1841, he went to Manila as a junior partner in the firm of Peel, Hubbell & Co. After ten years working in business in the Philippines, he took a financial interest in the Illinois Central Railroad in 1854. The Illinois Central, the first land grant railroad in the United States, was on the verge of bankruptcy in the wake of a stock scandal known as the Schuyler frauds that was connected with the New York and New Haven Railroad. One year after joining the railroad's board of directors, he was elected president, a position he held from December 1, 1855, until July 11, 1865.[5]

Beginning in 1875 and 1882, Osborn was involved in the Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans Railroad and guided the railroad from difficult economic times to profitability.[6]

### Philanthropy

[edit]

In 1882, he retired from the railroad business to concentrate on philanthropy near his Rhenish style home, Castle Rock, in Garrison, New York, in the Hudson Highlands, which he purchased in 1859.[7] He was involved with the New York Society for the Relief of the Ruptured and Crippled (today known as the Hospital for Special Surgery) and the Training School for Nurses at Bellevue Hospital.[6]

Osborn was a patron and close friend of Richard Cobden (the English economist), Sir James Caird and Sir John Rose (who had both invested heavily in the Illinois Central).[2][6]

## Art patron and collector

[edit]

Osborn was also a close friend and patron of the Hudson River School landscape painter Frederic Edwin Church,[8] who sold him works including The Andes of Ecuador,[9] Chimborazo,[10] and The Aegean Sea.[11] Osborn's son, William Church, was named for Church.[11] Church introduced Osborn to other artists, including Samuel W. Rowse and Erastus Dow Palmer, from whom Osborn also collected works, and may also have advised Osborn on the acquisition of European art.[12] The siting of Castle Rock, Osborn's home overlooking the Hudson River in Garrison, was influenced by that of Church's home, Olana, in Greenport.[13] Church died at the Osborns' Park Avenue townhouse on April 7, 1900, less than a year after his wife Isabel had also died there.[14]

Osborn also collected paintings by other American artists, including Thomas Cole, Asher Durand, George Loring Brown, John Frederick Kensett, Sanford Robinson Gifford, John William Casilear, Henry Peters Gray, Emmanuel Leutze, Daniel Huntington and Louis Rémy Mignot, and European artists including Charles Landelle, Florent Willems, Franz Defregger, George Jacobides and Benjamin Vautier.[15]

## Personal life

[edit]

His country home, Castle Rock, 2009

In 1853, Osborn married Virginia Reed Sturges (1830–1902).[16] Virginia was the eldest daughter of businessman and arts patron Jonathan Sturges and his wife, Mary Pemberton (née Cady) Sturges.[8] Her sister, Amelia Sturges, married J. Pierpont Morgan in 1861, but died of tuberculosis four months after their wedding, and her great-grandfather was Continental Congressman and U.S. Representative Jonathan Sturges. Together, Virginia and William were the parents of two sons:

* Henry Fairfield Osborn (1857–1935), a geologist, paleontologist, and eugenist who served as president of the American Museum of Natural History.[17] He married writer Lucretia Thatcher Perry (1858–1930),[18] daughter of Brigadier General Alexander James Perry, in 1881. Her sister, Josephine Adams Perry, married Junius Spencer Morgan II.[19]
* William Church Osborn (1862–1951),[20] who served as president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[21] He married philanthropist and social reformer Alice Clinton Hoadley Dodge (1865–1946), a daughter of William E. Dodge Jr.[22]

Osborn died in New York City on March 2, 1894.[6] After a funeral at their city residence, 32 Park Avenue in Manhattan, officiated by the Rev. Drs. Joseph McIlvaine and Joseph Duryea, he was buried at Saint Philip's Church Cemetery in Garrison.[23] His eldest son Henry inherited Castle Rock and after his wife's death on February 7, 1902, the remainder of the estate was equally divided between their sons.[24]

### Descendants

[edit]

Through his son Henry,[7] he was the grandfather of Alexander Perry Osborn (1884–1951);[25] Henry Fairfield Osborn Jr. (1887–1969);[26] and Gurdon Saltonstall Osborn (1895–1896), who died young.[27][28]

Through his son William, he was the grandfather of Grace Dodge Osborn;[29] Maj. Gen. Frederick Henry Osborn (1889–1981), who married Margaret Schieffelin (a descendant of John Jay);[30] arts patron Aileen Hoadley Osborn (1892–1979),[31] who married Vanderbilt Webb (son of Eliza Osgood Vanderbilt Webb, grandson of William Henry Vanderbilt and great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt);[32] Earl Dodge Osborn (1893–1988),[33] who founded the EDO Corporation;[34] William Henry Osborn II (1895–1971),[35] a founder of Scenic Hudson.[29]

## References

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1. ^ Stover, John F. (1999). "Osborn, William Henry". American National Biography (online ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.9780198606697.article.1001254. (subscription required)
2. ^ a b c Greene, Richard Henry; Stiles, Henry Reed; Dwight, Melatiah Everett; Morrison, George Austin; Mott, Hopper Striker; Totten, John Reynolds; Pitman, Harold Minot; Forest, Louis Effingham De; Ditmas, Charles Andrew; Mann, Conklin; Maynard, Arthur S. (1919). The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. p. 233. Retrieved June 24, 2019 - via Google Books.
3. ^ Derby, George; White, James Terry (1960). The National Cyclopædia of American Biography: Being the History of the United States as Illustrated in the Lives of the Founders, Builders, and Defenders of the Republic, and of the Men and Women who are Doing the Work and Moulding the Thought of the Present Time, Edited by Distinguished Biographers, Selected from Each State, Revised and Approved by the Most Eminent Historians, Scholars, and Statesmen of the Day. J. T. White Company. Retrieved June 24, 2019 - via Google Books.
4. ^ Osborn, Henry Fairfield; Ripley, Harriet Ernestine; Lucas, Jannette May (1930). Fifty-two Years of Research, Observation and Publication: 1877–1929; a Life Adventure in Breadth and Depth. C. Scribner's Sons. p. 152. Retrieved June 24, 2019 - via Google Books.
5. ^ Ackerman, William K. (1900). History of the Illinois Central Railroad Company and Representative Employes: A History of the Growth and Development of One of the Leading Arteries of Transportation in the United States, from Inception to Its Present Mammoth Proportions, Together with the Biographies of Many of the Men who Have Been and are Identified with the Varied Interests of the Illinois Central Railroad. Railroad Historical Company. p. 101. Retrieved June 24, 2019 - via Google Books.
6. ^ a b c d "THE OBITUARY RECORD.; William H. Osborn" (PDF). The New York Times. March 5, 1894. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
7. ^ a b Bischof, Jackie (August 8, 2013). "No Longer Able to Keep the Castle". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
8. ^ a b "Osborn, William H. (William Henry), 1820–1894". research.frick.org. Frick Art Reference Library. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
9. ^ Howat, John K. Frederic Church, p. 62. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2005.
10. ^ Huntington, David C. The Landscapes of Frederic Edwin Church: Vision of an American Era, p. 53. New York: George Braziller, 1966.
11. ^ a b Howat, John K. Frederic Church, p. 170. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2002.
12. ^ Oaklander, Christine I. "Jonathan Sturges, W. H. Osborn, and William Church Osborn: A Chapter in American Art Patronage", Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 43, pp. 182–183. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008.
13. ^ Oaklander, Christine I. "Jonathan Sturges, W. H. Osborn, and William Church Osborn: A Chapter in American Art Patronage", Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 43, p. 182. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008.
14. ^ Howat, John K. Frederic Church, p. 184. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2002.
\- Huntington, David C. The Landscapes of Frederic Edwin Church: Vision of an American Era, p.111. New York: George Braziller, 1966.
15. ^ Oaklander, Christine I. "Jonathan Sturges, W. H. Osborn, and William Church Osborn: A Chapter in American Art Patronage", Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 43, p. 183. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008.
16. ^ "DIED" (PDF). The New York Times. February 9, 1902. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
17. ^ "DR. HENRY F. OSBORN DIES IN HIS STUDY; Retired Head of the Museum of Natural History, Eminent as Paleontologist, Was 78. A DEFENDER OF EVOLUTION Authority on Prehistoric Life, Author and Explorer, Was Foe of Fundamentalists" (PDF). The New York Times. November 7, 1935. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
18. ^ "MRS. HENRY F. OSBORN, WRITER, DIES AT 72; Wife of Natural History Museum President, Was Author of a Washington Biography" (PDF). The New York Times. August 27, 1930. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
19. ^ "Wedding on Governor's Island.; Prof. Henry F. Osborn, of Princeton, United to Miss Lucretia T. Perry" (PDF). The New York Times. September 30, 1881. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
20. ^ "WILLIAM C. OSBORN, CIVIC LEADER, DEAD; Ex-President of Metropolitan Museum of Art Also Headed Children's Aid Society LAWYER HERE FOR 61 YEARS Was a Founder of the Citizens Budget Commission in 1932 --Served With Railroads" (PDF). The New York Times. January 4, 1951. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
21. ^ Howat, John K.; Church, Frederic Edwin (2005). Frederic Church. Yale University Press. pp. 117, 170. ISBN 978-0300109887.
22. ^ "MRS. OSBORN DIES; PHILANTHROPIST, 81; Wife of Head of Metropolitan Museum of Art a Leader in Travelers Aid Society" (PDF). The New York Times. March 31, 1946. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
23. ^ "FUNERAL OF WILLIAM H. OSBORN.; Many Prominent Men Attend the Services in the Family Residence" (PDF). The New York Times. March 6, 1894. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
24. ^ "LEFT MONEY TO CHARITIES.; Will of Mrs. Virginia R. Osborn Favors New York Institutions" (PDF). The New York Times. February 22, 1902. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
25. ^ "A. PERRY OSBORN, LAWYER, 67, DIES; Official of Museum of Natural History Was a Banker and Broker for Many Years" (PDF). The New York Times. March 8, 1951. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
26. ^ "Fairfield Osborn, the Zoo's No. 1 Showman, Dies. Leading Conservationist, 82,I i Headed Zoological Society Master Salesman in Behalf of His Animals, Birds and Fish" (PDF). The New York Times. September 17, 1969. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
27. ^ Sparling, Polly (October 17, 2008). "It's All Relative | Where in the Hudson Valley...?". Hudson Valley Magazine. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
28. ^ Chorley, Edward Clowes (1912). History of St. Philip's Church in the Highlands, Garrison, New York: Including, Up to 1840, St. Peter's Church on the Manor of Cortlandt. E.S. Gorham. p. 378. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
29. ^ a b Dodge, Joseph Thompson (1898). Genealogy of the Dodge Family of Essex County, Mass. 1629–1894: 1629–1898. Democrat Printing Company. pp. 605–606. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
30. ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (January 7, 1981). "Frederick Osborn, a General, 91, Dies". The New York Times. p. 12. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
31. ^ "Aileen O. Webb, Leading Figure In National Crafts Movement, 87". The New York Times. August 17, 1979. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
32. ^ Shaykett, Jessica. "This Month in American Craft Council History: June 2012". www.craftcouncil.org. American Craft Council. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
33. ^ Cook, Joan (December 13, 1988). "Earl Dodge Osborn Is Dead at 95; Founded Aircraft Manufacturer". The New York Times. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
34. ^ "Earl Dodge Osborn, Founder of EDO Corporation, Inducted into Long Island Technology Hall of Fame". www.businesswire.com. March 2, 2004. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
35. ^ "Osborn and Dodge Family Papers | Rare Books and Special Collections". rbsc.princeton.edu. Princeton University Library. Retrieved March 21, 2019.

## External links

[edit]

* William H. Osborn at Find a Grave
* Guide to the Osborn Family Papers 1832–1936 at the New-York Historical Society.

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* United States

Other|

* SNAC

*[m.]: married