William Henry Osborn (December 21, 1820 – March 2, 1894) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was a railroad tycoon who, as head of the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also co ...

and later the

Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans Railroad The Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans Railroad was a 19th- and early-20th-century railway company in Kentucky in the United States. It operated from 1878, when it purchased the Central Mississippi Railroad, Central Mississippi, until 1951, when it ...

, became one of the most prominent railroad leaders in the United States. A friend and patron of the painter

Frederic Edwin Church Frederic Edwin Church (May 4, 1826 – April 7, 1900) was an American landscape painter born in Hartford, Connecticut. He was a central figure in the Hudson River School of American landscape painters, best known for painting large landscapes, ...

, he was an avid art collector. His two sons went on to become presidents of prominent museums in New York City.

Early life

Osborn was born to a farming family on December 21, 1820, in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

, where he was educated. He was the son of William Osborn and Lucy (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

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

Nathaniel Bowditch Nathaniel Bowditch (March 26, 1773 – March 16, 1838) was an early American mathematician remembered for his work on ocean navigation. He is often credited as the founder of modern maritime navigation; his book '' The New American Practical Navi ...

Career

Osborn began his career with the Boston East India shipping company. In 1841, he went to

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

as a junior partner in the firm of Peel, Hubbell & Co. After ten years working in business in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, he took a financial interest in the

in 1854. The Illinois Central, the first land grant railroad in the United States, was on the verge of

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

in the wake of a stock scandal known as the Schuyler frauds that was connected with the

New York and New Haven Railroad The New York and New Haven Railroad (NY&NH) was a railroad connecting New York City to New Haven, Connecticut, along the shore of Long Island Sound. It opened in 1849, and in 1872 it merged with the Hartford & New Haven Railroad to form the New ...

. 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. Beginning in 1875 and 1882, Osborn was involved in the

and guided the railroad from difficult economic times to profitability.

Philanthropy

In 1882, he retired from the railroad business to concentrate on

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

near his Rhenish style home, Castle Rock, in

Garrison, New York Garrison is a hamlet in Putnam County, New York, United States. It is part of the town of Philipstown, on the east side of the Hudson River, across from the United States Military Academy at West Point. The Garrison Metro-North Railroad ...

, in the

Hudson Highlands The Hudson Highlands are mountains on both sides of the Hudson River in New York state lying primarily in Putnam County on its east bank and Orange County on its west. They continue somewhat to the south in Westchester County and Rockland County ...

, which he purchased in 1859. He was involved with the New York Society for the Relief of the Ruptured and Crippled (today known as the

Hospital for Special Surgery Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is a hospital in New York City that specializes in orthopedic surgery and the treatment of rheumatologic conditions. Founded in 1863 by James Knight, HSS is the oldest orthopedic hospital in the United States ...

) and the Training School for Nurses at

Bellevue Hospital Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States b ...

. Osborn was a patron and close friend of

Richard Cobden Richard Cobden (3 June 1804 – 2 April 1865) was an English Radical and Liberal politician, manufacturer, and a campaigner for free trade and peace. He was associated with the Anti-Corn Law League and the Cobden–Chevalier Treaty. As a young ...

(the English economist), Sir James Caird and Sir John Rose (who had both invested heavily in the Illinois Central).

Art patron and collector

Osborn was also a close friend and patron of the

Hudson River School The Hudson River School was a mid-19th century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by Romanticism. The paintings typically depict the Hudson River Valley and the surrounding area, ...

landscape painter

, who sold him works including ''

The Andes of Ecuador ''The Andes of Ecuador'' is an 1855 oil painting by Frederic Edwin Church, the premier American landscape painter of the time. It is the most significant result of his 1853 trip to South America,Ayers, 17–19 where he would travel again in 185 ...

'', ''Chimborazo'', and '' The Aegean Sea''.Howat, John K. ''Frederic Church'', p. 170. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2002. Osborn's son, William Church, was named for Church. Church introduced Osborn to other artists, including

Samuel W. Rowse Samuel Worcester Rowse (January 29, 1822 – May 24, 1901) was an American illustrator, lithographer, and painter. He was most famous for his drawings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Rowse is also well known for his lithograph, '' T ...

and

Erastus Dow Palmer Erastus Dow Palmer (April 2, 1817March 9, 1904) was an American sculptor. Life Palmer was born in Pompey, New York. He was the second of nine children. He showed early artistic promise, and pursued his father's trade of carpentry. Palmer married ...

, from whom Osborn also collected works, and may also have advised Osborn on the acquisition of European art. The siting of Castle Rock, Osborn's home overlooking the Hudson River in Garrison, was influenced by that of Church's home,

Olana Olana State Historic Site is a historic house museum and landscape in Greenport, New York, near the city of Hudson. The estate was home to Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900), one of the major figures in the Hudson River School of landscape pa ...

, in Greenport. Church died at the Osborns' Park Avenue townhouse on April 7, 1900, less than a year after his wife Isabel had also died there. Osborn also collected paintings by other American artists, including

Thomas Cole Thomas Cole was an English-born American artist and the founder of the Hudson River School art movement. Cole is widely regarded as the first significant American landscape painter. He was known for his romantic landscape and history paintin ...

Asher Durand Asher Brown Durand (August 21, 1796, – September 17, 1886) was an American painter of the Hudson River School. Early life Durand was born in, and eventually died in, Maplewood, New Jersey (then called Jefferson Village). He was the eighth ...

George Loring Brown George Loring Brown (February 2, 1814 – June 25, 1889) was an American landscape painter. He was born in Boston and first studied wood engraving under Alonzo Hartwell and worked as an illustrator. He studied painting with Washington Allston, ...

John Frederick Kensett John Frederick Kensett (March 22, 1816 – December 14, 1872) was an American landscape painter and engraver born in Cheshire, Connecticut. He was a member of the second generation of the Hudson River School of artists. Kensett's signature works ...

Sanford Robinson Gifford Sanford Robinson Gifford (July 10, 1823 – August 29, 1880) was an American landscape painter and a leading member of the second generation of Hudson River School artists. A highly-regarded practitioner of Luminism, his work was noted for its ...

John William Casilear John William Casilear (June 25, 1811 – August 17, 1893) was an American landscape artist belonging to the Hudson River School. Casilear was born in New York City. His first professional training was under prominent New York engraver Peter Mav ...

Henry Peters Gray Henry Peters Gray (June 23, 1819 - November 12, 1897) was an American portrait and genre painter. Early life Born in New York City he was a pupil of Daniel Huntington in New York, and subsequently studied in Rome and Florence. Career Elected ...

Emmanuel Leutze Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze (May 24, 1816July 18, 1868) was a German-American history painter best known for his 1851 painting '' Washington Crossing the Delaware''. He is associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. Biography Leutze was born ...

, Daniel Huntington and

Louis Rémy Mignot Louis Rémy Mignot (February 3, 1831 – September 22, 1870) was an American painter of Huguenot descent. Associated with the Hudson River School of landscape artists, his southern US heritage and the influence of his time spent in Europe gave hi ...

, and European artists including Charles Landelle,

Florent Willems Florent Willems or Florent Willems van Edeghem (8 January 1823 – 23 October 1905)Florent Willems
at the

Franz Defregger Franz Defregger (after 1883 Franz von Defregger) (30 April 1835 – 2 January 1921) was an Austrian artist known for producing genre art and history paintings set in his native county of Tyrol. Biography Franz Defregger was born on 30 April ...

, George Jacobides and Benjamin Vautier.

Personal life

In 1853, Osborn married Virginia Reed Sturges (1830–1902). Virginia was the eldest daughter of businessman and arts patron

Jonathan Sturges Jonathan Sturges (August 23, 1740 – October 4, 1819) was an American lawyer, jurist and politician from Fairfield, Connecticut. He represented Connecticut as a delegate to the Continental Congress and in the United States House of Repr ...

and his wife, Mary Pemberton (née Cady) Sturges. Her sister, Amelia Sturges, married J. Pierpont Morgan in 1861, but died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

four months after their wedding, and her great-grandfather was

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

man and

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 ...

. Together, Virginia and William were the parents of two sons: *

Henry Fairfield Osborn Henry Fairfield Osborn, Sr. (August 8, 1857 – November 6, 1935) was an American paleontologist, geologist and eugenics advocate. He was the president of the American Museum of Natural History for 25 years and a cofounder of the American Euge ...

(1857–1935), a geologist, paleontologist, and eugenist who served as president of the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...

. He married writer Lucretia Thatcher Perry (1858–1930), daughter of

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Alexander James Perry, in 1881. Her sister, Josephine Adams Perry, married

Junius Spencer Morgan II Junius Spencer Morgan II (June 5, 1867 – August 18, 1932) was a banker, art collector and nephew of John Pierpont Morgan, Sr. Early life Junius Spencer Morgan II was born on June 5, 1867 in Irvington, New York to George Hale Morgan (1840–191 ...

. *

William Church Osborn William Church Osborn (December 21, 1862 – January 3, 1951) was the son of a prominent New York City family who served in a variety of civic roles including president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, president of the Children's Aid Society, a ...

(1862–1951), who served as president of the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

. He married philanthropist and social reformer Alice Clinton Hoadley Dodge (1865–1946), a daughter of

William E. Dodge Jr. William Earl Dodge Jr. (February 15, 1832 – August 9, 1903) was an American businessman, activist, and philanthropist. For many years, he was one of two controlling partners in the Phelps Dodge Corporation, one of the largest copper mining corpo ...

Osborn died in New York City on March 2, 1894. After a funeral at their city residence, 32

Park Avenue Park Avenue is a wide New York City boulevard which carries north and southbound traffic in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. For most of the road's length in Manhattan, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenu ...

in Manhattan, officiated by the Rev. Drs. Joseph McIlvaine and Joseph Duryea, he was buried at Saint Philip's Church Cemetery in Garrison. 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.

Descendants

Through his son Henry, he was the grandfather of Alexander Perry Osborn (1884–1951);

Henry Fairfield Osborn Jr. Henry Fairfield Osborn Jr. (15 January 1887 – 16 September 1969), was an American conservationist. He was longtime president of the New York Zoological Society (today known as the Wildlife Conservation Society). Biography Henry Fairfield Osbor ...

(1887–1969); and Gurdon Saltonstall Osborn (1895–1896), who died young. Through his son William, he was the grandfather of Grace Dodge Osborn;

Maj. Gen. Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Frederick Henry Osborn (1889–1981), who married Margaret Schieffelin (a descendant of

John Jay John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the first ...

); arts patron Aileen Hoadley Osborn (1892–1979), who married Vanderbilt Webb (son of

Eliza Osgood Vanderbilt Webb Eliza Osgood Vanderbilt Webb (September 20, 1860 – July 10, 1936) was an American heiress.

, grandson of

William Henry Vanderbilt William Henry Vanderbilt (May 8, 1821 – December 8, 1885) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the eldest son of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, an heir to his fortune and a prominent member of the Vanderbilt family. Vanderbi ...

and great-grandson of

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

); Earl Dodge Osborn (1893–1988), who founded the

EDO Corporation EDO Corporation was an American company which was acquired by ITT Corporation in 2007. EDO designed and manufactured products for defense, intelligence, and commercial markets, and provided related engineering and professional services. It emp ...

; William Henry Osborn II (1895–1971), a founder of

Scenic Hudson Scenic Hudson is a non-profit environmental organization in New York that protects land, creates, and enhances parks, and advocates for environmentally responsible policies and development practices. History Scenic Hudson was founded as the Scen ...

References

External links

*
Guide to the Osborn Family Papers 1832–1936
at the

New-York Historical Society The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library in New York City, along Central Park West between 76th and 77th Streets, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum. ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Osborn, William H. 1820 births 1894 deaths 19th-century American railroad executives 19th-century American philanthropists American art patrons American businesspeople in shipping American people of English descent Illinois Central Railroad people Philanthropists from Massachusetts