Amos Gager Throop ( ; 1811–1894) was an American businessman and politician in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

during the 1840s and 1850s. Most famously he was known for being a staunch

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

prior to the Civil War. He served as a Chicago alderman from the 4th Ward from 1849 through 1853. In Chicago, he lost two campaigns to be that city's mayor in

1852 Events January–March * January 14 – President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte proclaims a new constitution for the French Second Republic. * January 15 – Nine men representing various Jewish charitable organizations come tog ...

and

1854 Events January–March * January 4 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the ''Samarang''. * January 6 – The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes is perhaps born. * January 9 – The ...

. In both elections he was the nominee of the little-known Temperance Party, facing tough opposition from the Democratic Party. At the time of the Great Chicago Fire Throop was the

City Treasurer of Chicago The City Treasurer of Chicago is an elected official of the City of Chicago. Current Occupant The current City Treasurer of Chicago is Democrat Melissa Conyears. Conyears was elected by Chicago citizens on April 2, 2019, and took the oath of ...

. He was instrumental in securing financing from New York to rebuild the wooden frontier town into a city of brick and mortar. Grateful Chicagoans renamed Main Street to Throop Street. Many years later and after moving to California, he was finally elected mayor—of Pasadena, California in 1888. A fervent adherent to a liberal religion, Throop established a Universalist group in Pasadena in 1886: the church still survives as Throop Unitarian Universalist Church. He is now best known for founding in 1891 (with a gift of over $100,000) the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

, which is today one of the world's most selective universities. In fact, it was known through its first thirty years as Throop University, Throop Polytechnic Institute, and Throop College of Technology, before its administrators decided on its current name which took effect in 1920. Also part of the Throop Polytechnic Institute was

Polytechnic School Polytechnic School, often referred to simply as Poly, is a college preparatory private day school located in Pasadena, California with approximately 850 students enrolled in grades Kindergarten through 12. The school is a former member of the ...

which separated from the Institute in 1907. It is currently a private college preparatory school across the street from Caltech with grades ranging from K-12. His motto was "learn by doing". The scenic Throop Peak ., known for its 360-degree views stretching from the Mojave Desert all the way to the Pacific Ocean, sits on the

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

and is also named after Mr. Throop. Another landmark named after him is Throop Unitarian Universalist Church, a Pasadena

Unitarian Universalist Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present) ...

congregation founded in 1923. Throop Street at 1300 West in Chicago also is named for him. He was allegedly a descendant of Sir

Adrian Scrope Colonel Adrian Scrope, also spelt Scroope, 12 January 1601 to 17 October 1660, was a Parliamentarian soldier during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and one of those who signed the death warrant for Charles I in January 1649. Despite being promi ...

, the famous regicide, possibly of the English

Scrope Scrope (pronounced "scroop") is the name of an old English family of Norman origin that first came into prominence in the 14th century. The family has held the noble titles of Baron Scrope of Masham, Baron Scrope of Bolton, and for a brief time, t ...

family. Amos Gager Throop's daughter, Martha married John C. Vaughan, founder of The Vaughan Seed Company.

References

External links

THE AMOS GAGER THROOP COLLECTION A Guide to the Papers in The Archives of The California Institute of Technology and The Chicago Historical Society, 1990
{{DEFAULTSORT:Throop, Amos G. 1811 births 1894 deaths California Institute of Technology people American abolitionists Chicago City Council members Mayors of Pasadena, California Members of the Universalist Church of America 19th-century Christian universalists American temperance activists 19th-century American politicians Activists from California University and college founders