John G. Shedd
John G. Shedd | |
|---|---|
| File:JohnGravesShedd.jpg | |
| Born | John Graves Shedd Template:Birth date |
| Died | October 22, 1926 (aged 76) Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Burial place | Rosehill Cemetery |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse |
Mary R. Porter (m. 1878) |
| Relatives | Dick Wells (great-grandson) |
John Graves Shedd (July 20, 1850Template:Spaced ndashOctober 22, 1926) served as the second president and chairman of the board for Marshall Field & Company.
Biography
Originating from a farm in New Hampshire where he was born on July 20, 1850, Shedd moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1871 to begin his career as a stock clerk at Marshall Field. By 1901, he advanced to the role of vice president and succeeded Field as president after his passing in 1906. Field once referred to Shedd as "the greatest merchant in the United States," a testament reflected in how Marshall Field & Company expanded under his leadership to become Chicago’s largest retail establishment and the foremost wholesale and dry goods firm worldwide.
As an influential civic figure, Shedd was among the founding members of the Commercial Club of Chicago, an organization that remains vital in supporting Chicago's status as a leading global city. A landmark achievement by the Commercial Club was backing urban planners Edward H. Bennett and Daniel H. Burnham in producing the 1909 Plan of Chicago, widely regarded as one of the most significant urban planning initiatives ever developed.
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Recognized as a prominent philanthropist in Chicago, Shedd generously supported numerous local charities, educational institutions, and cultural organizations. In the early 1920s, he donated $3 million to establish the Shedd Aquarium, designed to complement The Field Museum—which originated from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and was renamed after Marshall Field in 1905—and The Art Institute of Chicago, whose current facility also dates back to the same exposition. Upon its completion in 1930, the Shedd Aquarium held the distinction of being the largest aquarium globally for many decades.Template:Fix/category[citation needed]
In addition, Shedd financed the construction of the Shedd-Porter Memorial Library in his hometown of Alstead, New Hampshire in 1920.
He passed away from appendicitis on October 22, 1926, in Chicago and was laid to rest at Rosehill Mausoleum within Rosehill Cemetery.
Legacy
In 2002, one of his great-grandchildren played a key role in establishing The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, a community-oriented performing arts venue and music education center located in Eugene, Oregon.
Together with his spouse, Mary Roanna (née Porter), they had two daughters: Helen Shedd Reed Keith and Laura Abbie Shedd Schweppe (deceased 1937). In 1913, Laura wed Charles Hodgdon Schweppe (1881–1941). His grandson, John Shedd Reed, served as president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway from 1967 until 1986 and also held the position of president at the Shedd Aquarium between 1984 and 1994.
References
External links
- Official website of The Shedd Aquarium Archived January 17, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- Official website of The Shedd Institute]
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