Timothy Blackstone
Deceased Person
1829 – 1900
Who was Timothy Blackstone?
Timothy Beach Blackstone was a 19th-century railroad executive, businessman, philanthropist, and politician. He is descended from one of the earliest British settlers of New England, William Blaxton. Blackstone worked in the railroad industry for most of his life after dropping out of school. At the time of his death, his estate was worth US$6 million.
Blackstone served as president of the Chicago and Alton Railroad from 1864 through 1899, was a founding president of the Union Stock Yards, and served one term as mayor of La Salle, Illinois. An active philanthropist, Blackstone was the benefactor of the James Blackstone Memorial Library in Branford, Connecticut. A nearly identical library, Blackstone Memorial Library, was donated to the Chicago Public Library by Timothy Blackstone's widow in 1902. The Blackstones also funded Blackstone Hall for the Art Institute of Chicago Building. Chicago's Blackstone Library is the first dedicated branch of the Chicago Public Library system, and later his mansion became the site of the Blackstone Hotel and the Blackstone Theatre.
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- Born
- Mar 28, 1829
Branford - Spouses
- Religion
- Presbyterianism
- Nationality
- United States of America
- Died
- May 26, 1900
Chicago
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
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"Timothy Blackstone." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/timothy_blackstone>.
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