David Hostetter (1819–1888) was an American businessman and banker.

Biography

Early life

David Hostetter was born in

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County (; ), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States ...

on January 23, 1819.Thomas Cushing (ed.)
''A Genealogical and Biographical History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania''
Genealogical Publishing Com, 2009, pp. 260-261 He grew up on a farm.

Career

At the age of sixteen, he started working in a dry goods store in

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster ( ) is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, eighth-most populous ci ...

. After seven years, he opened his own store. In 1850, he moved to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

for the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

. He started a grocery business there, but lost everything in a fire. Back in Pennsylvania, he worked as a paymaster for McEvoy & Clark, a contractor of the railroad at Horseshoe Bend. Together with his father, he developed the Hostetter's "Celebrated" Bitters.National Park Service: Hostetter's Bitters
/ref>John T. Flynn
''God's Gold: The Story of Rockefeller and His Times''
Auburn, Alabama: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 1932, p. 192Herbert H. Harwood, Jr.
''The Railroad That Never Was: Vanderbilt, Morgan, and the South Pennsylvania Railroad''
Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2010, p. 44 Shortly after, he became associated with George W. Smith and started the company, Hostetter & Smith; it later became known as Hostetter & Co. The

bitters A bitters (plural also ''bitters'') is traditionally an Alcoholic drink, alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter for a Bitterness (taste), bitter or bittersweet Flavoring, flavor. Originally, numerous longstanding brands of bitters ...

was used as

patent medicine A patent medicine (sometimes called a proprietary medicine) is a non-prescription medicine or medicinal preparation that is typically protected and advertised by a trademark and trade name, and claimed to be effective against minor disorders a ...

by Northern soldiers during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

and served in saloons. The content was 47% alcohol with sugar. He was also a co-founder of the Fort Pitt National Bank, where he served as President for fourteen years. He also sat on the board of directors of the Farmers' Deposit National Bank. Later, he was one of the founders of the

Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE; ), also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11, 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The line connected Pittsburgh in the east with Youngstown, Ohio, in the ...

, the

Pittsburgh, McKeesport and Youghiogheny Railroad The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE; ), also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11, 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The line connected Pittsburgh in the east with Youngstown, Ohio, in the ...

and the

South Pennsylvania Railroad The South Pennsylvania Railroad is the name given to two proposed, but never completed, railroads in Pennsylvania during the 19th century. Parts of the right-of-way (railroad), right of way for the second South Pennsylvania Railroad were reused f ...

. Additionally, he invested in the oil and gas industry. He served as President of the Pittsburgh Gas Company, sat on the board of directors of the East End Gas Company and the Consolidated Gas Company of Pittsburgh, and was a major shareholder of Allegheny Gasworks and the Fuel Gas Company of Allegheny County. In 1875, he built an oil pipeline from Pittsburgh to

Millerstown, Pennsylvania Millerstown is a borough in northern Perry County, Pennsylvania, United States, located (via road) northwest of Harrisburg and southwest of Selinsgrove. The population was 688 at the 2020 Census. The borough is part of the Harrisburg&ndas ...

, but after much opposition from the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...

Company, he sold his stake to

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company was a Trust (business), corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil of Ohio, Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founde ...

in 1877. He was a Republican and believed in tariffs.

Personal life

He married Rosetta Rickey, daughter of Randall Rickey of

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, on July 13, 1854. They had four sons and one daughter: *Harry Hostetter. *D. Herbert Hostetter. * Theodore R. Hostetter (1870-1902). He died in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on November 5, 1888.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hostetter, David 1819 births 1888 deaths People from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Deaths from kidney failure Burials at Allegheny Cemetery 19th-century American businesspeople