William J. Hutchins

Edit links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Not to be confused with William J. Hutchins who served as president of Berea College

William J. Hutchins
Mayor of Houston
In office
1861–1862
Preceded byThomas W. Whitmarsh
Succeeded byThomas William House Sr.
Personal details
BornMarch 3, 1813
Mayor of Houston
, Railways

William J. Hutchins (March 3, 1813 – June 4, 1884) was a businessman and a

Mayor of Houston
.

Early life

Part of a series on the
History of Texas
Timeline
Pre-Columbian Texas
Early Spanish explorations 1519–1543
French Texas 1684–1689
Spanish Texas 1690–1821
Mexican Texas 1821–1836
Republic of Texas 1836–1845
Statehood 1845–1860
Civil War Era 1861–1865
Reconstruction 1865–1899
Years in Texas
flag Texas portal

Hutchins was born in Duchess County New York. He spent most of his childhood in

Tallahassee, establishing himself as a merchant for three years before selling his interest. He arrived in Houston in 1838, after the town was established as the capital of the Republic of Texas. He worked there as a merchant.[1][2]

Business career

In addition to his activities as a commission merchant, Hutchins invested in several infrastructure development companies. He co-founded the

Buffalo Bayou, Brazos, and Colorado Railway—the first railroad to operate in Texas.[3][4][5]

Around 1860, Hutchins started construction of a new four-story, brick building on the site of the old City Hotel (1837-1859). Finally completed after the Civil War, the Hutchins House was open until it burned in the early 1900s.[6]

Hutchins served variously as a director, owner, and president of the Houston and Texas Central Railway. He and a partner purchased the railroad at auction in 1861 for $10,000.[1] Hutchins purchased the Houston Tap and Brazoria Railway at auction in 1869 for $500.[7]

Hutchins was Vice-President of the Houston Insurance Company.[8]

According to the

1860 Census, Hutchins estimated his assets at $700,000 (equivalent to $23.7 million today), the second largest estate in Houston.[4]

Political career

Hutchins served as Alderman for

Houston’s Second Ward for several terms. He also served a single term as Mayor of Houston in 1861. During the Civil War, he headed the Texas Cotton Board, charged with collecting cotton for the Confederate States and getting it to foreign markets in exchange for supplies and war materials.[1][2]

Hutchins, Texas was named in his honor.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Julia Beazley (April 6, 2017). "HUTCHINS, WILLIAM J." Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  2. ^ a b (1895)History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with portraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities. Chicago: Lewis Publishing, p.276. https://archive.org/details/historyoftexasto01chic, accessed July 08, 2013.
  3. ISBN 978-0292741737
    .
  4. ^ a b Muir, Andrew Forest (Jul 1960). "Railroads Come to Houston 1857-1861". The Southwestern Historical Quarterly. 64 (1): 42–63.
  5. ISBN 0-292-730209
    . (First Trade Paperback Edition, 1981).
  6. ^ Young, Samuel Oliver (1912). A thumb-nail history of the city of Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1836 to the year 1912. Houston: Rein and Sons. pp. 49–51. University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries, Denton, Texas.
  7. ISBN 0-292-730209
    .
  8. ^ Kirkland, William A. (1975). Old Bank-New Bank: the First National Bank of Houston, 1866-1956. Houston: Pacesetter Press. pp. 24–25.
Preceded by
Mayor of Houston, Texas

1861–1862 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_J._Hutchins&oldid=1205301651"