Horace Meach Singer (October 1, 1823 – December 28, 1896) was an American businessman and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Coming with his father to

Lockport, Illinois Lockport is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, located 30 miles southwest of Chicago. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 26,094. The city was incorporated in 1853. It is situated along the Illinois a ...

work on the

Illinois & Michigan Canal The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, it ran from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago Po ...

, Singer rose to become superintendent of repairs. In the course of his work, he came across a large quarry near

Lemont, Illinois Lemont is a village located in Cook, DuPage, and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, and is a south-west suburb of Chicago. The population was 17,629 as of the 2020 census. The village is situated on a hillside along the south banks ...

and established a company to mine it. Singer & Talcott was in operation until 1889. In 1866, Singer served a term in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...

, then was elected to the

Cook County Board of Commissioners The Cook County Board of Commissioners is a legislative body made up of 17 commissioners who are elected by district, and a president who is elected county-wide, all for four-year terms. Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, which includes the City ...

in the 1870s.

Biography

Singer was born on October 1, 1823, in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

. When he was two, his family moved to

Ashtabula County, Ohio Ashtabula County ( ) is the northeasternmost county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,574. The county seat is Jefferson, while its largest city is Ashtabula. The county was created in 1808 and later organ ...

. In 1836, they moved to

. His father was a canal and harbor laborer and came to work on the

Illinois and Michigan Canal The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, it ran from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago ...

. Horace assisted his father with the construction of section 64 of that canal from 1836 to 1840. When the state ceased to provide funds for further construction in 1840, Singer took a job teaming, transporting passengers and freight within

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. When construction resumed in 1845, Singer was appointed an engineer. In 1848, he was named superintendent of canal repairs, serving for four years. While working on the canal, Horace and his father were joined by Horace's uncle,

Isaac Singer Isaac Merritt Singer (October 27, 1811 – July 23, 1875) was an American inventor, actor, and businessman. He made important improvements in the design of the sewing machine and was the founder of what became one of the first American multi-na ...

, the inventor. While overseeing repairs, a large stratified dolomite quarry was found near

. He resigned as commissioner in 1852 to found H. M. Singer & Co. to develop the quarry. Singer was elected to the

in 1866, serving a two-year term. He accepted Mancel Talcott as partner in 1854 and the firm became known as Singer & Talcott. The operation was officially incorporated as the Singer & Talcott Stone Company in the early 1870s. Around this time he was named to the

and in 1874, Singer largely withdrew from company affairs. The company was sold in 1889 to the Western Stone Company. Singer was chairman of the committee overseeing the construction of the

Cook County Criminal Court Building Courthouse Place, also known as the former Cook County Criminal Court Building, is a Richardsonian Romanesque-style building at 54 West Hubbard Street in the Near North Side of Chicago. Now a commercial office building, it originally served as ...

. Singer was on the board of directors of the

First National Bank of Chicago First Chicago Bank was a Chicago, United States-based retail and commercial bank tracing its roots to 1863, when it received one of the first charters under the then new National Bank Act. Over the years, the bank operated under several names inc ...

. He held stock in the Central Music Hall and served on its finance and executive committees. He was a member of the

Union League Club of Chicago The Union League Club of Chicago is a prominent civic and gentlemen's club, social club in Chicago that was founded in 1879. Its second and current clubhouse is located at 65 W Jackson Boulevard on the corner of Federal Street, in the Chicago L ...

and the Calumet Club. Singer married Harriet A. Roberts on April 6, 1847. They had three sons: Edward T., Charles G., and Walter H. He died in Will County on December 28, 1896 and was buried in Lockport Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singer, Horace M. 1823 births 1896 deaths Businesspeople from Chicago Members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Lemont, Illinois People from Lockport, Illinois Politicians from Schenectady, New York Businesspeople from Schenectady, New York 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly