Ratcliffe Hicks
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Ratcliffe Hicks (1843–1906) was an American lawyer, industrialist, state legislator, and philanthropist from
Tolland, Connecticut Tolland is a suburban town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 14,563 at the 2020 census. History Tolland was named in May, 1715, and incorporated in May, 1722 from Windsor. The town was over 20 miles away from ...
. The family home is now the
Hicks-Stearns Family Museum The Hicks-Stearns Family Museum is a Victorian historic house museum located on the town green in Tolland, Connecticut. The house was built in 1788, when it served as a tavern. It was occupied by the Hicks family from 1845 until 1970. Along with ...
. The Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture at the
University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...
and the Hicks Memorial Municipal Center and Library in Tolland are named after him.


Life

Born in Tolland on October 3, 1843, Ratcliffe was the eldest son of Charles R. Hicks (1812–1878), a prominent merchant from
Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
, and later New York City, and Maria A. Stearns (1815–1905). His grandfather on his mother's side was a judge and state legislator from Tolland. His grandfather on his father's side was a successful
sea captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel.Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.3. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficie ...
. Ratcliffe attended the Monson Academy and the
Williston Seminary Williston Northampton School (simply referred to as Williston) is a private, co-educational, day and boarding college-preparatory school in Easthampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1841. History Williston Seminary was ...
preparatory schools and graduated with honors from
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
in 1864. He was a founding member of the
Delta Upsilon Delta Upsilon (), commonly known as DU, is a collegiate men's fraternity founded on November 4, 1834 at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is the sixth-oldest, all-male, college Greek Letter Organizations#Greek letters, Greek-let ...
chapter at Brown. Returning to Tolland, he became a schoolteacher while studying law under local judge and politician Loren P. Waldo. After passing the bar, Hicks practiced law in Meriden and
Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
, including three years in the law offices of U.S. Senator
Orville H. Platt Orville Hitchcock Platt (July 19, 1827 – April 21, 1905) was a United States senator from Connecticut. Platt was a prominent conservative Republican and by the 1890s he became one of the "big four" key Republicans who largely controlled the ma ...
. Hicks became a prominent attorney, litigating important cases and earning over $10,000 annually in legal fees, equivalent to $280,000 in 2020 dollars. Hicks served in various public offices throughout his life. He served as City Attorney of Meriden (1869–1874) and Attorney for New Haven County (1873–1876). In 1866 he was elected to the
Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. Th ...
, the youngest legislator at that time, and remained in office for twenty-nine years. He was a member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
. In 1891, Hicks chaired the House Committee on
Women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
and supported a bill granting women the right to vote in local school board elections. When passed, it became the first such law enacted in New England. He also spoke against capital punishment. Hicks' father-in-law passed away in 1881, and Hicks became the executor of the Stearns estate. In 1882, Hicks withdrew from his law practice to become president of the Canfield Rubber Company of
Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...
. By 1896 he had built the company into a manufacturing enterprise with $250,000 in capital (versus a mere $10,000 in 1882) and $1 million in annual sales. During this commercial period, Hicks made twenty voyages to Europe, chiefly to sell his rubber to overseas concerns. Hicks married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Canfield Parker (1844–1889) on December 17, 1879. She was the widow of Wilbur Parker and daughter of Jared and Mary Canfield of
Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settler ...
. The Hickses had one daughter, Elizabeth, born February 19, 1884. Mrs. Hicks died in Paris on June 7, 1889. Ratcliffe remarried on October 19, 1895, to Isabella Wormer of Chicago. Isabella sued for divorce in September 1896 on the grounds of "intolerable
cruelty Cruelty is the pleasure in inflicting suffering or inaction towards another's suffering when a clear remedy is readily available. Sadism can also be related to this form of action or concept. Cruel ways of inflicting suffering may involve viol ...
." The divorce was granted along with alimony of $50,000 in cash in early 1897. Ratcliffe Hicks died of
pleuropneumonia Pleuropneumonia is inflammation of the lungs and pleura, pleurisy being the inflammation of the pleura alone. See also * Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia – a disease in cattle * Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia Contagious caprine pleuro ...
in
Interlaken , neighboring_municipalities= Bönigen, Därligen, Matten bei Interlaken, Ringgenberg, Unterseen , twintowns = Scottsdale (USA), Ōtsu (Japan), Třeboň (Czech Republic) Interlaken (; lit.: ''between lakes'') is a Swiss town and mun ...
, Switzerland, in 1906.


Philanthropy

During his lifetime, Hicks established annual prizes for public speaking at Brown University, Storrs Agricultural College (later the
University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...
), and Meriden High School. On his death in 1906, he left major bequests to area institutions. He was reportedly so incensed at Brown's misspelling of his given name on his diploma that he cut the university out of his will, with the exception of a student scholarship. He did bequeath $10,000 to
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
to fund student scholarships. Hicks' largest gift was in the form of a charitable trust (worth a quarter of his estate) to start a school of agriculture and
forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...
in
Tolland County Tolland County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, its population was 149,788. It is incorporated into 13 towns and was originally formed on 13 October 1785 from portions of eastern H ...
. Administered by the Meriden Trust & Safe Deposit Company, trust monies were to be invested for twenty-five years before building the school. In 1936 the estate established scholarships, grants, and loans for assistance to boys and young men pursuing education in agricultural subjects. The long-awaited school opened in 1941 as part of the
University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...
. The Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture and the Ratcliffe Hicks Building & Arena are named after him. Hicks also left substantial bequests to the Town of Tolland. He left $10,000 to the Tolland Public Library and a similar sum to build the Ratcliffe Hicks Memorial School (now the Hicks Memorial Municipal Center and Library) in the Tolland Green Historic District. The school was built on the site of a former school where Hicks had studied until the age of 13. Built in 1908 for a cost of $13,000, the school comprises a two-story brick building with stone trimmings. Ratcliffe's sister, Minnie Helen Hicks, contributed additional monies. The opening ceremony was marked by speeches from the presidents of Brown University and
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
.


Elizabeth Hicks

The only child of Ratcliffe and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Canfield Hicks, Elizabeth Hicks (1884–1974) became a philanthropist in her own right. She continued to dwell in the family home on Tolland Green after her father's death in 1906. She worked very closely with the University of Connecticut to develop the Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture. She spoke at the dedication ceremony for the school in 1950 and was known for hosting formal teas each spring with the students and campus leaders. Dedicated in 1951 and built with state funding support, the Elizabeth Hicks Residence Hall, a women's
dormitory A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
on the UConn campus, is named after her. She also served on many local boards and committees, including the school's and library's, but never ran for political office. She died in 1974 and is buried in Tolland's North Cemetery. Elizabeth bequeathed the Tolland family home to a charitable trust to convert into a museum, now the
Hicks-Stearns Family Museum The Hicks-Stearns Family Museum is a Victorian historic house museum located on the town green in Tolland, Connecticut. The house was built in 1788, when it served as a tavern. It was occupied by the Hicks family from 1845 until 1970. Along with ...
. The museum features Victorian-era family heirlooms and furnishings.


References


External links


Hicks-Stearns Family Museum
- official Facebook page
Ratcliff Hicks School of Agriculture
– official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Hicks, Ratcliffe 1843 births 1906 deaths Brown University alumni Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives People from Tolland, Connecticut 19th-century American politicians