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Joseph George Rosengarten (July 14, 1835 – January 14, 1921) was a Philadelphia
lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...
,
historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...
, and
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 ...
veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...
. He served on the staff of General John F. Reynolds.


Early life and education

Joseph George Rosengarten was born in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, Pennsylvania, the child of German immigrants George D. and Elizabeth (Bennett) Rosengarten.Ancestry.com. ''1850 United States Federal Census atabase on-line'' Provo, UT, US: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. ''Spring Garden Ward 1, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roll: M432_818; Page: 355B; Image: 151.'' His father, one of Philadelphia's wealthiest men by the 1890s, was an accountant and manufacturer, who created a large chemical establishment and had an interest in numerous other profitable business ventures, including the
Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...
.Jastrow, Morris Jr. ''Joseph George Rosengarten'', Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 60, No. 4, 1921Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ''1880 United States Federal Census atabase on-line'' Provo, UT, US: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. 1880 U.S. Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints © Copyright 1999 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. ''Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: 1171; Family History Film: 1255171; Page: 395C; Enumeration District: 143; Image: 0260.'' Rosengarten received his early education in private schools in Philadelphia, and for a time came under the influence of a scholarly man in
York, Pennsylvania York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in ...
, the Rev. Charles West Thomson, who aroused in him a liking for literature that became "an abiding habit." He completed his secondary education at an academy then affiliated with the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
, studying under Dr. Samuel Crawford. In 1849, at just fourteen years of age, Rosengarten was admitted to the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
, graduating three years later with the degree of A.B. in the Class of 1852. In 1855, Rosengarten received the degree of M.A. from the same university. After graduation he studied law in the offices of Henry M. Phillips, a prominent member of the Philadelphia Bar, and in 1856, Rosengarten was admitted to practice. Rosengarten's father then arranged for him to travel abroad to further his studies:
The elder Rosengarten, realizing the extraordinary value of foreign study and travel, sent four of his sons abroad to prepare themselves for their future careers. In pursuance of this plan Joseph Rosengarten went...to study history and Roman Law at the
University of Heidelberg Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is List ...
and to engage in travel.
While abroad he was "thrown into contact with men of distinction," including Ludwig Häusser and :de:Adolph von Vangerow, who served respectively as professors of history and law at the University of Heidelberg. During this period, Rosengarten also met the eminent
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James Fitzjames Stephen Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, 1st Baronet, Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India, KCSI (3 March 1829 – 11 March 1894) was an English lawyer, judge, writer, and philosopher. One of the most famous critics of John Stuart Mill, S ...
, and his brother, author and critic
Leslie Stephen Sir Leslie Stephen (28 November 1832 – 22 February 1904) was an English author, critic, historian, biographer, mountaineer, and an Ethical Culture, Ethical movement activist. He was also the father of Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell and the ...
. In 1857, Rosengarten returned to the
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and began practicing law in Philadelphia. His law partners were Henry Schell Hagert and George Junkin.


Witnesses John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry

In 1859, Rosengarten witnessed
abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...
John Brown's famous
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on Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Rosengarten had been traveling at the time as a guest with the Directors of the
Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...
, his father being one of the directors. His train stopped short of Harpers Ferry, he walked into town, and witnessed the attack made by Lee's men on
the engine house The Severn Valley Railway is a standard-gauge heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The single-track line runs from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, calling at four intermediate stations and three request stops ("halts"), fol ...
where John Brown had sought refuge. He later saw John Brown lying wounded. Rosengarten wrote a vivid account of what he had witnessed, that was published in the ''
Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 ...
'' in 1865.


Civil war service

On September 2, 1862, a year after the outbreak of the Civil War, Rosengarten was commissioned a first lieutenant in Company D of the 121st Pennsylvania Infantry.Historical Data Systems, comp. ''U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, atabase on-line'' Provo, UT, US: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009. Original data: Data compiled by Historical Data Systems of Kingston, MA The regiment was soon ordered to Washington, D.C., and upon its arrival, went into camp at Arlington Heights. Arms and equipments were not delivered until some weeks after its arrival, but drill and instruction were immediately commenced, and prosecuted with vigor, the regiment becoming noted for good discipline at the drills and reviews of General Casey's Provisional Brigade, to which it was then attached. Rosengarten fought with distinction at the
Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat between the Union Army, Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Major general ( ...
, "distinguishing himself for bravery, picking up the colors after four sergeants had been disabled and carrying them successfully through the engagement." As a result, he gained the notice of Major General John F. Reynolds, and was offered the post of Ordnance Officer and a position on General Reynolds' staff. Rosengarten remained on Reynolds' staff, fighting under him at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, until Reynolds was killed in action during the latter battle. (In one eyewitness's later account of Reynolds' July 1863 death, Rosengarten is referred to as "Major ''Adolph'' Rosengarten," his brother, an officer in the 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Army of the Cumberland, who had been killed in December 1862 at the
Battle of Stones River The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Ci ...
.) Rosengarten was assigned the honor of escorting Reynolds' body to his final resting place 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 ...
. Due to his intimate association with Reynolds, Rosengarten was also chosen to deliver the address at the dedication of Reynolds' monument at Gettysburg in 1889.


Later life

On September 6, 1863, Rosengarten received an honorable discharge from the military.Historical Data Systems, comp. ''U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles atabase on-line'' Provo, UT, US: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009. Original data: Data compiled by Historical Data Systems of Kingston, MA In March 1865, he received the rank of Brevet Captain. After receiving his discharge, Rosengarten returned to his law practice in Philadelphia. He was also employed as his father's business manager and legal representative, overseeing his father's numerous business ventures and investments. Rosengarten maintained a lifelong interest in his
alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...
the University of Pennsylvania, serving as president of the alumni association, and as a member of the board of trustees. He supported several other public institutions, among them the German Hospital, now Lankenau Medical Centerl, and the House of Refuge, the first institution in Pennsylvania established to reform juveniles charged with delinquency. Rosengarten served on the Board of Managers (1878), and later as vice president (1893-1910), and finally, as president (1911-1914) of the House of Refuge. At his urging, the institution was moved from Philadelphia to the outlying countryside, where, instead of being "treated as prisoners the boys and girls were placed in homes organized on the cottage system," provided with educational opportunities, plenty of fresh air, outdoor work and exercise. Rosengarten served as a board member (1895-1911) and president (1899-1909) of the
Free Library of Philadelphia The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system that serves the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the 16th-largest public library system in the United States. The Free Library of Philadelphia is a non-Mayoral agency of the ...
, and it was largely through his efforts that the library received a bequest of five hundred thousand dollars from
Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...
. Carnegie remembered the kindness once shown to him, years before, while he was employed as secretary to the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, by Rosengarten's father. Rosengarten developed a close association with
Anthony J. Drexel Anthony Joseph Drexel Sr. (September 13, 1826 – June 30, 1893) was an American banker who played a major role in the rise of modern global finance after the American Civil War. As the dominant partner of Drexel Burnham Lambert, Drexel & Co. of ...
and, as a result, served from its founding in 1892 until 1909 as a member of the board of the
Drexel Institute Drexel University is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony Joseph Drexel, Anthony J. Drexel, a financier ...
. Rosengarten contributed frequently to newspapers and periodicals, including the ''
New York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' (from 1914: ''New York Tribune'') was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s ...
'', the Philadelphia ''Public Ledger'', the ''
North American Review The ''North American Review'' (''NAR'') was the first literary magazine in the United States. It was founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale (journalist), Nathan Hale and others. It was published continuously until 1940, after which i ...
'', the ''Atlantic Monthly'', the '' Penn Monthly,'' and ''
The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...
''. He also delivered numerous addresses before various literary and charitable associations, including one before the
Historical Society of Pennsylvania The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a historic research facility headquartered on Locust Street in Center City Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chron ...
on the "''Life and Public Services of General John F. Reynolds''" (Philadelphia, 1880). Rosengarten was an active member of the
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
. He contributed translations of Hessian soldier Stephan Popp's Revolutionary War diary and Achenwall's Observations on North America to a paper, "''American History from German Archives''," published in the Society's ''Proceedings'' for 1900. Through his association with Henry C. Carey, Rosengarten became interested in
social science Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...
, and was active in the establishment of the American Social Science Association, which later became the
American Academy of Political and Social Science The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) was founded in 1889 to promote progress in the social sciences. Sparked by Professor Edmund J. James and drawing from members of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmor ...
. An amateur historian, Rosengarten was particularly interested in the subject of French and German
immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...
to the United States, and the role played by French and German immigrants in the foundation of the country. He authored numerous articles on the subject and two books: ''The German Soldier in the Wars of the United States'' (Philadelphia, 188

and ''French Colonists and Exiles in the United States'' (Philadelphia, 190

In 1904, Rosengarten was awarded the Cross of the
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
by the Republic of France for helping to foster American interest in French culture. In 1907, he was awarded an honorary LL.D. degree by the University of Pennsylvania. Rosengarten was also remembered for his large circle of influential friends and acquaintances:
Few men had
uch Uch (; ), frequently referred to as Uch Sharīf (; ; ''"Noble Uch"''), is a historic city in the Pakistan's Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town founded by Alexander the Great during his invasion of t ...
a large circle of acquaintance; and having a rare gift for friendship, he continued to maintain association with many of those with whom he was thrown into contact either in hiladelphiaor through his frequent trips abroad. He knew the Darwins, father and
son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current ...
; he came into close touch with eminent writers and scholars like F. Max Müller,
Thomas Hughes Thomas Hughes (20 October 1822 – 22 March 1896) was an English lawyer, judge, politician and author. He is most famous for his novel ''Tom Brown's School Days'' (1857), a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School, which Hughes had atte ...
,
Goldwin Smith Goldwin Smith (13 August 1823 – 7 June 1910) was a British-born academic and historian who was active in both Great Britain and North America. From 1856 to 1866, he was a professor of modern history at the University of Oxford. Smith taught a ...
,
Herbert Spencer Herbert Spencer (27 April 1820 – 8 December 1903) was an English polymath active as a philosopher, psychologist, biologist, sociologist, and anthropologist. Spencer originated the expression "survival of the fittest", which he coined in '' ...
and
Lord Bryce James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce, (10 May 1838 – 22 January 1922), was a British academic, jurist, historian, and Liberal politician. According to Keith Robbins, he was a widely traveled authority on law, government, and history whose expe ...
; he formed a friendship extending over many years with the de Rochambeau family and secured the passage of an act of
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
for the purchase of the letters of Washington to he Comte deRochambeau. He knew the great trio of American literature, Longfellow, Emerson and Lowell; he had met all the Presidents from Buchanan to Wilson, and knew practically all the generals in the Civil War.
Rosengarten never married, living first with his parents and unmarried siblings, and later, after the death of his parents, with his sister, Fanny Rosengarten. He died in Philadelphia on January 14, 1921. He is buried beside his sister Fanny at
Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...
in Philadelphia.


Family

His brother Harry B. Rosengarten took over leadership of the family chemical business from their father. Harry's son Adolph G. Rosengarten II succeeded his father and built
Chanticleer Garden Chanticleer Garden is a 48-acre botanical garden built on the grounds of the Rosengarten estate at 786 Church Road in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Located on Philadelphia's historic Main Line, Chanticleer retains a domestic scale and welcomes visitors ...
in the Philadelphia suburbs. Another son, George D. Rosengarten II, also joined the family business, later serving terms as president of the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) is a professional organization for chemical engineers. AIChE was established in 1908 to distinguish chemical engineers as professionals independent of chemists and mechanical engineers. Curr ...
and the
American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...
. After the family business was merged with Merck & Co. in 1927, a third son, Frederic Rosengarten, served as chairman of the board of the resulting corporation until 1950. Adolph's son Adolph Jr. joined the board in 1934 and was elected vice chairman in 1971.


References

*


External links

* * * A pamphlet, at
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. * Finding aid to th
Joseph George Rosengarten papers
at th
University of Pennsylvania Libraries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosengarten, Joseph George 1835 births 1921 deaths University of Pennsylvania alumni Lawyers from Philadelphia 19th-century American lawyers People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Union army officers American male non-fiction writers Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia)