Edmund Dwight (November 28, 1780 – April 5, 1849) was a prominent American industrialist, educational reformer, and entrepreneur. He was known for being one of the chief supporters of the

Massachusetts Board of Education The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) is the state education agency responsible for interpreting and implementing laws relevant to public education in the Commonwealth of Massachusettsbr>https://www.sec.state.ma.us ...

, providing much of its early funding. He is also noted for his industrial ventures such as his role in establishing the Hadley Falls Company.

Biography

Dwight was born on November 28, 1780 at Springfield, Massachusetts. He was a descendant of the famous Dwight Massachusetts family noted for its business operations that emerged out of Springfield in the 1790s. Dwight's father, Jonathan Dwight was a second cousin to Timothy Dwight, a celebrated theologian, poet, and a president of Yale College. Dwight's early education was conducted at home. He studied law and travelled to Europe before joining the family business. He married the daughter of a wealthy Boston merchant in 1809. By 1820s, the Dwight family had pioneered the textile industry in Springfield. In 1822, he co-founded Day, Brewer, & Dwight, which operated in a corner store, at Springfield. Dwight was one of the

Boston Associates The Boston Associates is the term historians use for an inter-linked group of investors in 19th-century New England. They included Nathan Appleton, Patrick Tracy Jackson, Abbott Lawrence, and Amos Lawrence. Often related directly or through m ...

who established the Hadley Falls Company which built

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,247. Loca ...

, and providing early backing for the

Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad The Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad (CC&C) was a railroad that ran from Cleveland to Columbus, Ohio, Columbus in the U.S. state of Ohio in the United States. Chartered in 1836, it was moribund for the first 10 years of its existence. ...

. He was one of those who spearheaded the construction of the railroad connecting Boston and Albany. The company, which was co-founded by Thomas H. Perkins, and George W. Lyman, was incorporated for the construction and maintenance of a dam across the Connecticut River. The harnessed water power was used by investors manufacturing cotton, wood, iron, wool, and other materials. Dwight was also responsible for the opening of various manufacturing companies along the

Chicopee River The Chicopee River is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Connecticut River in the Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts, known for fast-moving wat ...

, including textile manufacturing facilities of the Boston Associates. Dwight was also an early founder of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

, backing

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III ( ; born April 30, 1961), also known as "Zeke", is an American former professional basketball player who is head coach of the Saginaw Soul of the Basketball Super League, and also an analyst for NBA TV and Fox Sports. H ...

with several other prominent Boston businessmen.

References

1780 births 1849 deaths People from Springfield, Massachusetts People from Holyoke, Massachusetts American industrialists 19th-century American businesspeople American railroad executives Businesspeople from Massachusetts Education in Massachusetts 19th-century American philanthropists Philanthropists from Massachusetts American textile industry businesspeople American company founders People of the American Industrial Revolution {{US-business-bio-1780s-stub