Chauncey Vibbard (November 11, 1811 – June 5, 1891) was an American railroad executive and a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from New York during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Early life

Born in

Galway, New York Galway () is a town located in Saratoga County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 3,589. The town contains a village also named Galway. Both the town and village are located in the western part of ...

on November 11, 1811, Vibbard attended the common schools and graduated from Nott's Academy for Boys in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

(now

The Albany Academy The Albany Academy is an independent college preparatory day school for boys in Albany, New York, USA, enrolling students from Preschool (age 3) to Grade 12. It was established in 1813 by a charter signed by Mayor Philip Schuyler Van Rensselae ...

). After graduation he served as clerk in a wholesale grocery store in Albany. He then moved to New York City, and in 1834 went to

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

. Upon returning to New York in 1836 Vibbard settled in

Schenectady Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, and was appointed chief clerk of the Utica & Schenectady Railroad. He became a railroad freight and ticket agent in 1848. In the early 1850s Vibbard was one of the businessmen who consolidated several small New York railroads into the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...

. From 1853 to 1865 he was the New York Central's General Superintendent.

Election to Congress and Civil War activities

Vibbard was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Thirty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863). He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1862. During the

he served as the Union's director and superintendent of military railroads. In 1864 he was a supporter of

George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...

for

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Post Civil War

Mabbett Railway Chair Manufacturing Company - share certificate - 1867

Following the war Vibbard continued his business career. He was an organizer of the Family Fund Insurance Company in 1864, and served as its President until 1886. He was also an owner of Foote, Vibbard & Co., a venture formed to provide supplies and equipment to railroads. In 1865 he moved to New York City and became active in constructing and operating steamships lines and elevated railroads. He was a part-owner of the record-breaking

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

steamboat ''Chauncey Vibbard'', which was named for him. In his later life Vibbard was interested in the development of railroads in the former Confederacy, as well as several ventures in

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

and Central America. Vibbard retired in 1889, and moved to

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

for his health. He died in Macon on June 5, 1891 and was interred in Macon's Riverside Cemetery. Since 1907 his former home in Schenectady has been the location of the Mohawk Club, a private social club that began in the 1870s.Michael DeMasi, Schenectady Gazette
Mohawk Club's Room No. 33 May Host Ghost
October 30, 2000

References

External links

Retrieved on 2009-04-01 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vibbard, Chauncey 1811 births 1891 deaths 19th-century American railroad executives New York Central Railroad People of New York (state) in the American Civil War People from Galway, New York People from Macon, Georgia Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians The Albany Academy alumni 19th-century American Episcopalians