William Henry Bush (October 22, 1849 – April 9, 1931) was an American businessman and rancher. Born in

Martinsburg, New York Martinsburg is a town in Lewis County, New York, United States. The population was 1,433 at the 2010 census. The town is named after its founding father, General Walter Martin. Martinsburg is in the west-central part of the county, south of Lo ...

, he sold barbed wire and hats in the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...

. He became a rancher in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and a multi-millionaire due to

helium Helium (from el, ἥλιος, helios, lit=sun) is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. ...

deposits on his landholdings.

Early life

William Henry Bush was born on October 22, 1849 in

. His father was James Bush and his mother, Caroline Lucretia Hills.

Career

Bush was hired by

Joseph Glidden Joseph Farwell Glidden (January 18, 1813 – October 9, 1906) was an American businessman and farmer. He was the inventor of the modern barbed wire. In 1898, he donated land for the Northern Illinois State Normal School in DeKalb, Illinois, whic ...

, the inventor of barbed wire, to find ranching lands in Texas and promote the new invention. With

Henry B. Sanborn Henry B. Sanborn (September 10, 1845 – May 19, 1912) was an American businessman, rancher, hotelier, horse breeder and philanthropist. He was known as the "Father of Amarillo, Texas." Early life Henry Bradley Sanborn was born on September 10, 18 ...

, he established the Frying Pan Ranch in Potter County. With his brother-in-law, F. T. Simmons, Bush co-founded the Bush, Simmons, and Company, a hat company, in 1885. By 1903, Bush founded the Bush Hat Company and served as its President. Bush was the founder of the city of

Bushland, Texas Bushland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in southwestern Potter County, Texas, United States. A small portion of the CDP extends south into Randall County. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had ...

in 1903, which was named in his honor. It was founded as a railway stop on the

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...

. Much of the land which Bush possessed was replete with

deposits. As a result, Bush became a multimillionaire. He was worth US$2,175,000 by 1931.

Personal life

Bush married Elva Glidden,

's daughter, in 1877. On October 20, 1908, he married Ruth Russel Gentry. They had two daughters, Caroline Gentry Bush, who married Frederick Latham Emeny, and Ruth Emmeline Bush, who married Francis Thomas O'Brien. Bush attended the

Fourth Presbyterian Church The Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago is one of the largest congregations of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), located in the Magnificent Mile neighborhood of Chicago, directly across Michigan Avenue from the John Hancock Center. History ...

in Chicago.

Death and legacy

Bush died on April 9, 1931 in Chicago, and was buried at

Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Ir ...

. Two thirds of his estate went to his widow and two daughters. His cousin, Herbert S. Bush of DeKalb, Illinois, also received some inheritance. Furthermore, he donated US$100,000 to the Presbyterian Hospital of Chicago and US$25,000 to the

Chicago Art Institute The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

Secondary source

*Paul Howard Carlson. ''Empire builder in the Texas Panhandle : William Henry Bush''. College Station, Texas: Texas A & M University Press. 2009. 186 pages.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bush, William Henry 1849 births 1931 deaths People from Martinsburg, New York People from Amarillo, Texas Businesspeople from Chicago Ranchers from Texas American city founders American Presbyterians Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago)