James G. Batterson

James Goodwin Batterson
Born	Template:Birth date Bloomfield, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	September 18, 1901(1901-09-18) (aged 78) Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Architect, entrepreneur
Known for	Co-founder of Travelers Insurance Company

James Goodwin Batterson (February 23, 1823 – September 18, 1901) was an American architect and entrepreneur, proprietor of New England Granite Works beginning in 1845, and a co-founder of the Travelers Insurance Company in 1863, both headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. He played a pivotal role in introducing casualty insurance to the United States and was honored posthumously with induction into the Insurance Hall of Fame in 1965.

Biography

Originating from Bloomfield, Connecticut, Batterson initially prepared for higher education but ultimately joined his father’s quarrying and stone-importing enterprise. He briefly pursued legal studies before establishing his own granite and marble business. Following several years spent in Egypt—where he earned distinction as an expert in Egyptology and served as honorary secretary of the Egyptian Exploration Fund—he continued his education in Europe, focusing on art and poetry. Motivated by England’s Railway Passenger Assurance Company model, he partnered with forward-thinking associates to found Travelers Insurance Company, which he led until his passing.

Prior to the Civil War, Batterson designed and constructed the General William Jenkins Worth Monument in New York City (1857) and subsequently provided numerous monuments for cemeteries and public spaces. During the Civil War, he chaired Connecticut’s State War Committee and acted as a construction advisor for the Union forces.

Appointed by President Abraham Lincoln as the building contractor for the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., Batterson also oversaw construction of significant buildings such as New York City’s Masonic Temple and the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, designed by Richard M. Upjohn. His portfolio includes major insurance company headquarters like the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Building (Hartford), Mutual Life Insurance Building (New York), and Equitable Life Insurance Building (New York), alongside the Marble House residence of William K. Vanderbilt in Newport, Rhode Island. He managed granite quarries located in Westerly, Rhode Island, and Concord, New Hampshire, where he was a pioneer in mechanical granite polishing techniques.

To support his monument commissions, Batterson employed skilled Italian sculptors to execute bronze and stone works for national cemeteries and Civil War memorials. His company was responsible for prominent monuments such as The American Volunteer (statue) at Antietam National Cemetery (sculptor Carl Conrads, architect George Keller), the Soldiers' National Monument at Gettysburg National Cemetery (sculptor Randolph Rogers), the granite statue Alexander Hamilton in Central Park (Carl Conrads), the Thayer Monument at West Point (Carl Conrads), Texas Heroes Monument in Galveston (Louis Amateis), and the Halleck Monument in San Francisco (Carl Conrads).

In collaboration with Elizabeth Colt, Batterson contributed to transforming the Wadsworth Atheneum into a free public museum. In 1880, former President Ulysses S. Grant recognized him there for his dedication to historic preservation. He established Hartford’s Cedar Hill Cemetery, which features many of his granite monuments and serves as his final resting place.

He was married to Eunice Elizabeth Goodwin of Hartford.

Batterson passed away on September 18, 1901, in Hartford. In tribute to his legacy, Batterson Hall at the University of Connecticut bears his name.