Horace Henry Baxter
Horace Henry Baxter | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Saxtons River, Vermont, U.S. |
| Died | February 17, 1884 (aged 66) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, railroad executive, military officer |
| Years active | 1830s–1884 |
| Known for | President of New York Central Railroad; Adjutant General of Vermont during Civil War |
Horace Henry Baxter (January 8, 1818 – February 17, 1884) was a prominent Vermont entrepreneur who held the position of Adjutant General of Vermont at the outbreak of the American Civil War. He later ascended to the presidency of the New York Central Railroad and was a significant shareholder alongside Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Early life
Born in Saxtons River, Vermont, H. Henry Baxter was the son of Judge Henry Baxter. He received his education in schools located in Windham and Windsor Counties. At the age of fifteen, he began working as a clerk in a Boston dry goods commission warehouse, where within two years he advanced to the role of chief bookkeeper.
In the mid-1830s, Baxter returned to Vermont and established a dry goods business in Bellows Falls. However, the economic downturn caused by the Panic of 1837 resulted in delayed payments from customers, which ultimately made the store unprofitable and led to its closure.
Business career
Although Baxter faced health challenges due to excessive labor, he capitalized on his expertise in management and leadership skills to secure a contract in the early 1840s for grading and track laying on the Rutland and Burlington Railroad. The successful completion of this assignment opened doors to further railroad construction projects, including work on the Western Vermont and Cleveland and Toledo lines.
Residing in Rutland, Baxter acquired ownership of the Rutland Marble Company. He operated this enterprise alongside his brother John N. Baxter and Charles Clement and Sons, which included Percival W. Clement among its members. The company employed Redfield Proctor as its manager.
Additionally, Baxter owned Maple Grove farm situated on Creek Road, where he raised livestock such as cattle and sheep, along with thoroughbred horses. On this property, he constructed a residence named Grove Hall; following his death, it was converted into the Crestwood Hotel before being demolished in 1945.
Military career
Baxter held the rank of captain in the Rutland Light Guards militia and was appointed Adjutant General of the Vermont Militia in 1859, overseeing preparations for the Civil War. He also served as a Delegate to the 1861 Peace Conference that sought to avert armed conflict.
At the beginning of hostilities, Baxter organized recruitment for the 1st Vermont Infantry regiment and personally financed their equipment and salaries prior to their deployment to Washington, D.C., leading them out of Vermont himself. In 1861, he resigned as Adjutant General in favor of Peter T. Washburn, who brought combat experience as lieutenant colonel of the 1st Vermont.
Later career
Following his military service, Baxter concentrated on his business ventures. He sold his interest in the Rutland Marble Company to Proctor and established the Rutland County Bank. Dividing his time between New York City and Rutland, he became a principal investor in the New York Central Railroad, serving as its president from 1867 until 1869 and remaining on its board until his death. In 1870, he founded Rutland’s Baxter National Bank and served as its president until he passed away.
Baxter collaborated with Cornelius Vanderbilt and Trenor W. Park, holding substantial shares or board memberships in major enterprises such as Chicago & North Western Railroad, Emma Silver Mine, Pacific Mail Steamship Company, Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, Panama Canal Railway, Continental Bank of New York City, and Pullman Palace Car Company. He also owned a construction company responsible for much of New York City’s elevated railway infrastructure and was the leading investor in Rutland’s gas lighting company.
Death and burial
Following a severe back injury sustained in a fall in 1877, Baxter experienced a significant decline in health. Although frequently confined to bed, he remained actively involved in overseeing his financial ventures until he passed away in New York City on February 17, 1884. His final resting place is Evergreen Cemetery in Rutland.
Family
Baxter entered into marriage with Eliza Wales of Bellows Falls in 1841; the couple did not have children, and she passed away in 1849. He later married Mary Roberts from Manchester, Vermont, in 1851. Together, they had two sons: Henry (1856–1860) and Hugh (1862–1945). Hugh Baxter achieved national prominence as one of the earliest leading American pole vaulters, holding the national championship title from 1883 through 1886 and setting a world record of 11 feet and one-half inch in 1883.
His brother, Algernon Sidney Baxter (1819–1897), was an accomplished entrepreneur based in St. Louis and New York City. A personal acquaintance of Ulysses S. Grant, A. Sidney Baxter served as Captain of Quartermasters on Grant’s staff during the Civil War but stepped down due to illness shortly after the Battle of Shiloh.
Legacy
The Grand Army of the Republic post located in Gaysville, Vermont, was named to honor Baxter.
Additionally, his family financed the establishment of the H. H. Baxter Memorial Library in Rutland, which currently functions as the Rutland Jewish Center. This library was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
External resources
- Horace Henry Baxter at Find A Grave
- Horace Henry Baxter at Vermont Civil War.Net (archived)