John Randolph Wilder (March 18, 1816 – November 1, 1879) was an American businessman based in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

, where he was a prominent civic leader, cotton

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

and planter. His shipping and cotton exporting houses were regarded as some of the leading businesses in Savannah. He was also a slave-owner.

Life and career

A descendent of Captain Thomas Wilder, who served in

King William's War King William's War (also known as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin's War, Castin's War, or the First Intercolonial War in French) was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), also known as the War of the Grand All ...

, Wilder was born in

Leicester, Massachusetts Leicester ( ) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The population was 11,087 at the 2020 United States Census. History What is now Leicester was originally settled by the Nipmuc people and was known by them as ''Towtaid''. On January 27 ...

, to John Wilder and Lucinda A. Washburn. He married Anna Drucilla Lewis in 1840. After moving to

, Wilder went into the cotton business with his only child, son Joseph John, who was born on January 5, 1844. Joseph continued the business after his father's death; it was known for a period as Wilder & Fullerton, then J. J. Wilder & Co. In 1868, Wilder and his family purchased what is now known as Mercer House, in Savannah's

Monterey Square Monterey Square is one of the Squares of Savannah, Georgia, 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the southernmost row of the city's five rows of squares, on Bull Street and Wayne Street, and was laid out in 1847. It is ...

, from General Hugh W. Mercer, great-grandfather of Savannahian songwriter

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallich ...

."MERCER HOUSE, SAVANNAH. THE COLLECTION OF THE LATE JAMES A. WILLIAMS. CONTENTS TO BE SOLD BY SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK ON OCTOBER 20"
- Sothebys He became

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

of the Russian government in Savannah, a role which his son later inherited. Wilder studied in Germany during much of 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 ...

of 1861–1865. The Wilder family owned around of land in the Oakton district of

Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...

, where they summered up until the outbreak of the Civil War.

Death

Wilder died in Marietta, Georgia, on November 1, 1879, aged 63. He was interred in Savannah's

Laurel Grove Cemetery Laurel Grove Cemetery is a cemetery located in midtown Savannah, Georgia. It includes the original cemetery for whites (now known as Laurel Grove North) and a companion burial ground (called Laurel Grove South) that was reserved for slaves and fr ...

, alongside his wife, who preceded him in death by two years.

References

External links

John R. Wilder at a grave-finding website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilder, John R. 1816 births 1879 deaths American businesspeople People from Savannah, Georgia People from Leicester, Massachusetts American slave owners