Hercules Louis Dousman II (April 3, 1848 – January 13, 1886), better known as Louis Dousman, was notable as a wealthy Midwestern

socialite A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having traditio ...

and art collector. He was the heir to the estate of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

millionaire

Hercules Louis Dousman Hercules Louis Dousman (August 4, 1800 – September 12, 1868) was a fur trader and real-estate speculator who played a large role in the economic development of frontier Wisconsin. He is often called Wisconsin's first millionaire. Early life a ...

, who had made a career in Prairie du Chien. Dousman had a new mansion built on the site of his family's house, and then soon moved away, living for years in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

, and

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. In both cities he moved in upper social circles. After his mother's death in 1882, Dousman began to develop the family property to establish a stock farm and racing for

Standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...

horses. He built a racetrack and started an annual race in July 1883. He returned to the city in 1885, establishing the Artesian Stock Farm, but died unexpectedly the next year before getting it well underway. His widow closed the farm and named the mansion as

Villa Louis The Villa Louis is a National Historic Landmark located on St. Feriole Island, in Prairie du Chien, southwestern Wisconsin. The villa and estate are a historical museum operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society. The site has been restored to i ...

after Louis Dousman. It has been designated as a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

Early life and education

Louis Dousman was born in 1848 in

Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Prairie du Chien () is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821. Often referred to as Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was esta ...

, the son of Hercules and Jane (Fisher) Rolette Dousman. His father had been a fur trader and developed great wealth as an investor and entrepreneur on the frontier, influential in expanding railroad construction across the state, exploiting the lumber industry, and investing in real estate. He was a millionaire before he died, when the United States held few figures of such wealth. As a child, Louis was privately tutored; he later attended a preparatory school in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

. His higher education was cut short by the death of his father in 1868. The son returned to Prairie du Chien to take care of his father's estate and help his widowed mother Jane.

Life as heir

In 1870, at the age of 22, Dousman began using his inheritance. He demolished the brick house built by his father, where he had grown up, and replaced it with a modern mansion of the era. It was designed in the Italianate style by

E. Townsend Mix Edward Townsend Mix (May 13, 1831 – September 2, 1890) was an Americans, American architect of the Gilded Age who designed many buildings in the Midwestern United States. His career was centered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and many of his design ...

. Dousman did not stay long in Prairie du Chien. In 1872, he moved to the larger city of

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

, leaving his mother to occupy the Prairie du Chien estate. Owing to his wealth and his father's onetime partnership with

Henry Hastings Sibley Henry Hastings Sibley (February 20, 1811 – February 18, 1891) was a fur trader with the American Fur Company, the first U.S. Congressional representative for Minnesota Territory, the first governor of the state of Minnesota, and a U.S. mil ...

, who had earlier served as

Governor of Minnesota The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. ...

, Dousman rose quickly in St. Paul society. In 1873 he married Nina Sturgis, and the couple moved to

. They had five children: Violet, Virginia, Nina, Louis, and Judith Dousman. Dousman's father had also had prominent connections in St. Louis. Dousman readily entered its uppermost social circles. He began a career as an art collector, amassing a collection of nearly a hundred paintings, mostly

Academic art Academic art, or academicism or academism, is a style of painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies of art. Specifically, academic art is the art and artists influenced by the standards of the French Académie d ...

from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In 1879, he constructed a gallery adjoining his St. Louis home to showcase his collection and began opening the gallery to the public. His art collection was eventually published in 1881. Dousman received much attention in both St. Louis and other major cities across the nation for his collection. He served as art director for three years for the St. Louis Fair. In the 1880s his interest began to shift. Following the death of his mother in 1882, Dousman sold most of his art collection at auction in New York City. He made plans to return to Prairie du Chien. He wanted to develop the larger part of his property into a stock farm for the breeding of

horses, specifically, a line descended from

Hambletonian 10 Hambletonian 10, or Rysdyk's Hambletonian, (May 5, 1849 – March 27, 1876) was an American trotter and a founding sire of the Standardbred horse breed. The stallion was born in Sugar Loaf, New York, on 5 May 1849. Hambletonian has been induc ...

. Dousman had stables and a racetrack built in Prairie du Chien, and began hosting an annual race in July 1883. He named his estate as the Artesian Stock Farm, because of the

artesian Artesian may refer to: * Someone from the County of Artois * Artesian aquifer, a source of water * Artesian Builds, a former computer building company * Artesian, South Dakota, United States * Great Artesian Basin, Australia * The Artesian Hotel ...

wells on the property. Dousman moved all of his family from St. Louis to Prairie du Chien in 1885. Dousman's plans for the Artesian Stock Farm were never fully realized. On January 13, 1886, he died unexpectedly of

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...

in Prairie du Chien. After Dousman's death, his wife Nina sold the horses and closed the stock farm. She renamed the mansion and its associated property as

in honor of her late husband. Today Villa Louis is preserved and operated as a museum by the

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...

. It is designated as a

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dousman, H. Louis 1848 births 1886 deaths American art collectors American socialites People from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin