William Fargo
William Fargo | |
---|---|
27th Mayor of Buffalo | |
In office 1862–1866 | |
Preceded by | Franklin A. Alberger |
Succeeded by | Chandler J. Wells |
Personal details | |
Born | William George Fargo May 20, 1818 American Express Company and Wells Fargo |
William George Fargo (May 20, 1818 – August 3, 1881) was a pioneer American
Early life
William George Fargo was born in
His father, who was born in New London, Connecticut, fought in the War of 1812. The elder Fargo was stationed at Fort Niagara and fought in the battle of Queenston Heights under General Van Rensselaer that resulted in the death of British General Isaac Brock. Fargo was wounded in his right thigh, just before the Americans took possession of the ground.[4]
His grandfather, William Beebe Fargo (1757–1801), served with distinction in the American Revolutionary War,[5] the son of William Fargo (1726–1813). His great-grandfather was the son of Moses Fargo (1691–1798)[6] and the grandson of Moses Fargo (1648–1742), who was born in Lyons, France. His father Jacent Fargeau, had emigrated with his wife and children to Wales, from where Moses and his elder brother Aaron went to Norfolk, Connecticut, in 1670.
Career
At the age of 13, Fargo left school and started carrying mail for his native village of
American Express Company
In 1845, Daniel Dunning withdrew from the company, and in 1846,
In 1866, upon the resignation of
Wells Fargo & Company
In 1852,
In 1861,
Other
Fargo was a director and vice-president of
Political career
In 1861, he was elected
Personal life
In January 1840, Fargo married Anna H. Williams (1820–1890), daughter of Nathan Williams, one of the proprietors of Pompey, with whom he had eight children:[7]
- Georgia Fargo (1841–1892), who died unmarried
- Alma Cornelia Fargo (1842–1842), who died young
- Sarah Irene Fargo (1843–1854)
- William George Fargo Jr. (1845–1872), who married Minerva Elizabeth Prendergast (1848–1873)[11]
- Hannah Sophia Fargo (1847–1851), who died young
- Mary Louise Fargo (1851–1852), who died young
- Helen Lacy Fargo (1857–1886), who married Herbert G. Squiers (1859–1911), a diplomat who served as Minister to Cuba (1902–1905) and Panama (1906–1909)
- Edwin Morgan Fargo (1861–1865), who died young
In 1868, when he was 50, Fargo bought 5.5 acres (2.2 ha) on the Buffalo's west side; and between 1868 and 1872, he built the Fargo Mansion at Jersey and Fargo Streets, which was Buffalo's largest mansion. The home was completed in 1872 at a cost of $600,000 (equivalent to $15,260,000 in 2023). Another $100,000 (equivalent to $2,543,000 in 2023) was spent to furnish and decorate the 22,170-square-foot (2,060 m2) mansion.[3] Michael Rizzo, a Buffalo historian, wrote:[1]
the 'most elaborate and costly private mansion in the state,' outside of New York City. The house took two city blocks, from Pennsylvania Avenue, West Avenue, Jersey Street, and Fargo Avenue. There was a central tower five stories high. At his request it contained wood from all the states of the Union. It was the first home in the city to contain an elevator in it, and it was said to have gold doorknobs."
He died on August 3, 1881, after battling an illness for several months.[7] After his funeral on August 7, 1881,[12] he was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery. At the time of his death, only two of his children were living, Georgia and Helen Fargo. William's brother, J. C. Fargo, succeeded him as President of American Express after his death.
Legacy
Fargo's wife, Anna, died in 1890. With their two surviving children living elsewhere, the Fargo Mansion stood vacant for 10 years. It was deemed too expensive to maintain and, with no buyer, the mansion was demolished and the block was divided into residential lots in 1901. The mansion and estate grounds were only 30 years old.[3]
Fargo Avenue in Buffalo; the Fargo Quadrangle at the University at Buffalo;[13] and Fargo, North Dakota, are named after him.
The Fargo Estate Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.[14]
See also
- American Express
- Wells Fargo
- J. C. Fargo
- Henry Wells
- John Warren Butterfield
References
Notes
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4116-3757-3.
- ^ a b c d e Chisholm 1911.
- ^ a b c Wysocki, Jacek A. "Fargo Estate: Then & Now". wnyheritagepress.org. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
- ^ "OBITUARY | WILLIAM G. FARGO". The New York Times. March 19, 1878. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f "William G. Fargo". sfmuseum.org. San Francisco News Letter and California Advertiser August 27, 1881.
- Knickerbocker Press. pp. 52–56. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "CLOSE OF A BUSY CAREER | THE HON. WILLIAM G. FARGO DIES AT BUFFALO YESTERDAY". The New York Times. No. August 4, 1881. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ISBN 1-58798-283-8.
- ^ a b c "History of Wells Fargo". wellsfargo.com. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
- ^ "William George Fargo Facts". biography.yourdictionary.com. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
- ^ Bostwick, Henry Anthon (1901). Genealogy of the Bostwick Family in America: The Descendants of Arthur Bostwick of Stratford, Conn. New York: Bryan printing Company. p. 560.
- ^ "WILLIAM G. FARGO'S FUNERAL". The New York Times. August 7, 1881. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ "UB Buildings: Fargo Quadrangle". SUNY at Buffalo.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 2/01/16 through 2/05/16. National Park Service. February 12, 2016.
Sources
- "William G. Fargo". Through The Mayor's Eyes, The Only Complete History of the Mayors of Buffalo, New York, Compiled by Michael Rizzo. The Buffalonian is produced by The Peoples History Union. May 27, 2009.
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Fargo, William George". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 177. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the