William Hayes Ackland (born William H. Acklen, September 6, 1855 – February 16, 1940) was an American lawyer, writer, and art collector from Nashville, Tennessee. He lived most of his life away from Tennessee, in Washington, DC, and various social spots, traveling to England annually for its social season. The
Ackland Art Museum
The Ackland Art Museum is a museum and academic unit of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It was founded through the bequest of William Hayes Ackland (1855–1940) to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is located a ...
at the
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
was begun with his collection.
Early life
William Hayes Acklen was born on September 6, 1855, in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
.
[Ackland Art Museum: Biography of William Hayes Ackland](_blank)
/ref>
/ref>[Robert Franklin Durden, ''The Launching of Duke University, 1924–1949'', Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1993, p. 28]
/ref> He changed his last name to Ackland by 1892.
He was a son of Colonel Joseph Alexander Smith Acklen (1816–1863), a lawyer from Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
who had served in the Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
of 1846–1848, and Adelicia (Hayes) Franklin Acklen (1817–1887). She was a wealthy widow when she married Col. Acklen, and their children benefitted by her wealth.[Daphne Athas, ''Chapel Hill in Plain Sight'', Eno Publishers, 2010, p. 19]
/ref> His maternal grandfather, Oliver Bliss Hayes (1783–1858), was a lawyer and later Presbyterian minister from South Hadley, Massachusetts; he was related to Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governo ...
(1822–1893), who served as President of the United States from 1877 to 1881. William's older brother, Joseph H. Acklen (1850–1938), served as U.S. Representative from Louisiana from 1878 to 1881.
Acklen grew up at his family plantation home, Belmont Mansion, in Nashville, and on his mother's family plantations in Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nashville, followed by a Bachelor of Laws from Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
. He was one of the first students at Vanderbilt, attending when the university first opened.
Career
After law school, Acklen moved to Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, where he officially practiced as a lawyer. In the 1880s, he also worked at journalism in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
.
Acklen was part of a wealthy social class, spending much of his time attending society galas and balls in Washington, and also in Ormond Beach, Florida
Ormond Beach is a city in central Florida in Volusia County. The population was 43,080 at the 2020 census. Ormond Beach lies directly north of Daytona Beach and is a principal city of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL Metropolita ...
; Lake Mohonk
Lake Mohonk is a lake in Ulster County, New York, United States. It is located approximately northwest of Poughkeepsie. Activities on the lake are operated by Mohonk Mountain House.
Description
The small lake, long and deep, is located above ...
, and York Harbor, Maine
York Harbor is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of York in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,033 at the 2010 census. York Harbor is a distinguished former Gilded Age summer colony noted for its resort architect ...
. He traveled to England annually for its season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
. He became known as a genteel gentleman and a member of high society
High society, sometimes simply society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open to men based ...
.
When Acklen published his novel ''Sterope: The Veiled Pleiad''(1892), it was under his changed surname as "Ackland". He also published three volumes of poetry and a memoir.
Ackland wrote plays and frequently attended theatre. He corresponded with older writers such as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...
(1807–1882), Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...
(1803–1882), Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (; August 29, 1809 – October 7, 1894) was an American physician, poet, and polymath based in Boston. Grouped among the fireside poets, he was acclaimed by his peers as one of the best writers of the day. His most fa ...
(1809–1894), James Russell Lowell
James Russell Lowell (; February 22, 1819 – August 12, 1891) was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the fireside poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets that ri ...
(1819–1891), and John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892).
Ackland became an important art collector. To preserve his art collection, he wanted to establish a museum on a Southern university campus. But, Duke University
Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
and Rollins College
Rollins College is a private college in Winter Park, Florida. It was founded in November 1885 and has about 30 undergraduate majors and several graduate programs. It is Florida's fourth oldest post-secondary institution.
History
Rollins Colle ...
rejected hosting a museum in his name.[James Vickers, ''Chapel Hill'', Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 1996, p. 11]
/ref> The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
agreed, and the Ackland Art Museum
The Ackland Art Museum is a museum and academic unit of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It was founded through the bequest of William Hayes Ackland (1855–1940) to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is located a ...
was established on its campus.
Personal life and death
Ackland married Laura Crocker (1871–1931) on June 2, 1896, in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
. They had no children and divorced a year later. He inherited US$100,000 from one of his late half-sisters. By the time of his death, he left an estate of US$1,350,000.
In his later years, Ackland became a Knight Templar
, colors = White mantle with a red cross
, colors_label = Attire
, march =
, mascot = Two knights riding a single horse
, equipment ...
.
At the end of his life, Ackland resided in Ormond, Florida
Ormond Beach is a city in central Florida in Volusia County. The population was 43,080 at the 2020 census. Ormond Beach lies directly north of Daytona Beach and is a principal city of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL Metropolitan ...
, where he died on February 16, 1940. He was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery, but his body was moved in 1958 to the Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill per his bequest, where it remains today.
Works
* William Hayes Ackland, ''Sterope: The Veiled Pleiad'' (Washington, D.C., 1892).Google Books
/ref>
Further reading
* John Emil Larson, ''William Hayes Ackland, 1855–1940'' (Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Ackland Memorial Art Center, 1958).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ackland, William
1855 births
1940 deaths
Writers from Nashville, Tennessee
Writers from Washington, D.C.
Vanderbilt University alumni
American lawyers
American male novelists
American socialites
American art collectors
American male poets
American male dramatists and playwrights
Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)