Timothy Blackstone
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| Timothy Blackstone | |
 Timothy B. Blackstone Bronze Plaque |
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Mayor of La Salle, Illinois
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| In office 1854 – 1855 |
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| Born | March 28, 1829 Branford, Connecticut |
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| Died | May 26, 1900 Chicago, Illinois |
| Spouse | Isabella Farnsworth Norton |
| Children | none |
| Residence | Chicago, Illinois |
| Religion | Presbyterian[1] |
Timothy Beach Blackstone (March 28, 1829 – May 26, 1900) served as president of the Chicago and Alton Railroad from 1864 through 1899. He was also a one-term mayor of LaSalle, Illinois and a founding president of the Union Stock Yards. He was also the benefactor of Blackstone Library, the first dedicated branch of the Chicago Public Library system, and his mansion became the site of the Blackstone Hotel and the Blackstone Theatre.
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[edit] Early life
Blackstone was born in Branford, Connecticut, the sixth child, and fourth son, of James Blackstone and Sarah Beach. His father, James, served in the Connecticut state Senate representing the sixth district. The family is descended from William Blaxton, who arrived in New England in the seventeenth century.[2]
Health issues caused Blackstone to drop out of school in 1847, and he began working for Roswell B. Mason, surveying the New York and New Haven Railroad. He only worked on the NY&NH for a year before becoming an assistant engineer on the Stockbridge and Pittsfield Railroad. Again, he only remained with the firm a short time before leaving for the Vermont Valley Railroad. In 1851, Roswell invited Blackstone to help lay a railroad between Bloomington and Dixon, Illinois. Blackstone accepted the job and moved to La Salle, Illinois.[2]
[edit] Ascendancy
Blackstone was elected mayor of La Salle in 1854 and served a single term, his only foray into elected office. After leaving office, he returned to working on railroads, first as chief engineer of the Joliet and Chicago Railroad, which would eventually become the Chicago and Alton Railroad.[2] Blackstone became president of the Joliet and Chicago Railroad in 1961 and kept the line solvent while other divisions were filing for bankruptcy. When the system was reorganized, he was named president of the board of directors for the company. John Drake I also served on the Board of Directors.[3] Although Blackstone served with the Alton Railroad for more than a quarter century, he refused a salary. When the Board of Directors voted to pay him $10,000 per year, he turned it down.[1]
In 1899, a group of investors headed by E. H. Harriman wanted to purchase the Alton Railroad but Blackstone disapproved of the sale. After many months of wrangling, Blackstone transferred all of his stock in the company to the United States Trust Company and resigned as president, effective April 1, 1899. This action allowed the Harriman-led group to assume control of the line.[4]
In addition to his employment and activities with the railroads, Blackstone was the first president of the company that controlled the Union Stock Yards.[5]
In 1868, Blackstone married Isabella Farnsworth Norton, the daughter of a successful businessman from Norwich, Connecticut.
Blackstone died of pneumonia on May 26, 1900, in Chicago, Illinois. His funeral was held at the Second Presbyterian Church and was then transported to Norwich, Connecticut for burial.[1]
[edit] Blackstone Mansion
Blackstone built a mansion for himself at 252 Michigan Avenue in Chicago.[1] The property later became the site of the Blackstone Hotel and the Blackstone Theatre.[3] Following the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, he invited his friend John Crerar to stay with him, which Crerar proceeded to do for twelve years. Crerar donated the John Crerar Library to the University of Chicago and Blackstone continued to donate funds toward the maintenance of the building throughout his life.
[edit] Libraries
Blackstone donated a library of 5,000 books and a building to Branford, Connecticut with the only stipulation that it be named in honor of his father. A charter was devised for the library by the Connecticut State Legislature vesting control of the library in a self-perpetuating board of trustees consisting of six residents of Branford and the librarian of Yale University.[6] The building was designed by Chicago architect Solon Spencer Beman.[6]
In 1904, Isabella Blackstone donated the T.B. Blackstone Memorial Branch Library to the city of Chicago. Located at the intersection of Blackstone Avenue, Lake Park Avenue, and Forty-ninth Street, the library is modeled after the James Blackstone Library in Branford, Connecticut.
[edit] Support for Zionism
Blackstone was an early financial supporter of his cousin, William Eugene Blackstone,[7] who in 1891 proposed giving Palestine to the Jews.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "T.B. Blackstone. Former Alton President. T.B. Blackstone Is Dead", Chicago Daily Tribune, 1900-05-27, p. 6.
- ^ a b c Ida Hinman. "Biography of Timothy B. Blackstone." Methodist Book Concern Press, 1917.
- ^ a b Berger, Miles L., They Built Chicago: Entreprenuers Who Shaped a Great City's Architecture, Bonus Books, Inc., Chicago, 1992, p. 155., ISBN 0-929387-76-7.
- ^ "Blackstone Gives It Up", Chicago Daily Tribune, 1899-03-31, p. 3.
- ^ Peggy Sullivan, "Naming the Branches," Journal of the Caxton Club, June 2006, p.1.
- ^ a b History of the James Blackstone Memorial Library. James Blackstone Memorial Library. Retrieved on 2007-02-16.
- ^ The Blackstone Zionists (2006-09-06). Retrieved on 2007-02-15.
[edit] External links
- James Blackstone Memorial Library
- Official Chicago Public Library T.B. Blackstone Memorial Branch Page
| Preceded by None |
President of Chicago and Alton Railroad 1864 – 1899 |
Succeeded by Samuel Morse Felton, Jr. |
| City of Chicago |  |
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