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Eliphalet Adams Bulkeley (June 20, 1803 – February 13, 1872) was an American business executive, politician, and first president of the Aetna Insurance Company.
", Aetna company information In 1847, Bulkeley became director and general counsel of the Aetna Insurance Company. In 1850, when a subsidiary, Annuity Fund, was formed to sell life insurance, Bulkeley was named its administrative head. When Annuity Fund was reorganized in 1853 as the
, Aetna, April 4, 2003 Bulkeley had at least five children, possibly as many as seven. Sources indicate that two children died in childbirth. Mary Morgan died at the age of four (1831-1835). Charles (1835-1864) died in the Civil War, and Morgan Bulkeley (1837-1922) served as
Bulkeley died on February 13, 1872, in
Life and career
Bulkeley was born June 20, 1803, in Colchester, Connecticut, the son of Sarah (Taintor) and John Charles Bulkeley. He attendedBacon Academy
Bacon Academy is a public high school in Colchester, Connecticut, in the United States.
In 1800 a prominent Colchester farmer, Pierpont Bacon, died and left an endowment of thirty-five thousand dollars (with buying power equivalent to that of abou ...
. Bulkeley earned his Bachelor's and law degree from Yale University and practiced law in Lebanon, Connecticut
Lebanon is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,142 at the 2020 census. The town lies just to the northwest of Norwich, directly south of Willimantic, north of New London, and east of Hartford. The farm ...
and Selma, Alabama
Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. About ...
. Bulkeley later moved to East Haddam, Connecticut, where he worked as a banker, town representative, member and Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives, state's attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...
, and judge. Bulkeley became the president of the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, founded in 1846, the first life insurance company in Connecticut.Aetna At-A-Glance: Aetna History", Aetna company information In 1847, Bulkeley became director and general counsel of the Aetna Insurance Company. In 1850, when a subsidiary, Annuity Fund, was formed to sell life insurance, Bulkeley was named its administrative head. When Annuity Fund was reorganized in 1853 as the
Aetna Life Insurance Company
Aetna Inc. () is an American managed health care company that sells traditional and consumer directed health care insurance and related services, such as medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, long-term care, and disability plans ...
, Bulkeley became its first president. When the Panic of 1857
The Panic of 1857 was a financial panic in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Because of the invention of the telegraph by Samuel F. Morse in 1844, the Panic of 1857 was ...
caused many Aetna stockholders to talk of dissolving the company, Bulkeley refused. In 1861, the industry again suffered a downturn; rather than pull back, however, Bulkeley embarked on a more aggressive marketing campaign which proved prescient when interest in life insurance soared during the war, and Aetna became one of America's leading life insurance companies.Aetna Legends -- Eliphalet Adams Bulkeley, Aetna, April 4, 2003 Bulkeley had at least five children, possibly as many as seven. Sources indicate that two children died in childbirth. Mary Morgan died at the age of four (1831-1835). Charles (1835-1864) died in the Civil War, and Morgan Bulkeley (1837-1922) served as
Mayor of Hartford
The following table lists the individuals who served as mayor of Hartford, Connecticut, their political party affiliations, and their dates in office, as well as other information.Kevin FloodMayors of Hartford HartfordHistory.net (retrieved April ...
, Governor of Connecticut, and U.S. Senator from Connecticut. Bulkeley had two other children.
Bulkeley died on February 13, 1872, in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
.
References
1804 births 1872 deaths 19th-century American politicians Aetna employees American bankers Burials at Cedar Hill Cemetery (Hartford, Connecticut) Connecticut state senators People from Colchester, Connecticut Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives Yale Law School alumni Bacon Academy alumni 19th-century American businesspeople {{Connecticut-politician-stub