From Wikipedia.
I have been writing about Simon L. Sommers, a Confederate officer who, before and after the war, worked for W.W. Corcoran and as such ended up living in Macomb, Illinois. I'd never heard of this W.W. Corcoran, but found out that Sommers was raking care of his real estate holdings in the Macomb area which was why he went there.
WILLIAM W. CORCORAN (Dec. 27, 1798-February 24, 1888) American banker, philanthropist and art collector. He started the Corcoran Gallery of Art across from the White House in Washington, D.C., in 1869, one of the first art galleries in the United States.
William was the son of well-to-do parents in D.C. and eloped and married the daughter of Commodore Charles Morris who fought in the War of 1812. (I wrote about him in my War of 1812 blog yesterday.)
He entered the business world at age 17, working for relatives and opened his own store two years later. he then established a wholesale auction and commission business that failed in a depression in 1823. In 1828, he took control of a large amount of real estate that had belonged to his father. (I have to wonder how a man in Washington, D.C., could acquire large amounts of land out west?)
More to Come. --Old Secesh
No comments:
Post a Comment