Norris M. Winslow (May 19, 1835 – May 10, 1900) was an American banker, merchant and politician based primarily in

Watertown, New York Watertown is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River, about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by the t ...

, who built almost 100 buildings in the city.

Early life and career

Winslow was born on May 19, 1835, in

as the son of John Winslow and Betsey Collins Winslow. Winslow attended

public schools Public school may refer to: *Public school (government-funded), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging private schools in England and Wales *Great Public Schools, ...

in Fields Settlement, New York as a boy. He also studied at Falley Seminary and Watertown High School. He graduated in 1854, and became a

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include Records managem ...

in a department store owned by Truman Keeler in Watertown, with a salary of $2 a week. After about two years working in the store, he purchased the stores stock and became a merchant. In 1866, he opened the Merchants' Bank of Watertown, which was incorporated as a stock company in April 1870, and he became CEO. In 1869, he purchased a cotton factory in Factory Square, and he began extensive improvements to the square. The Carthage, Watertown and Sackets Harbor Railroad began construction in 1872 with Winslow as a director. In 1873, he built the Winslow Block, a building in the

Public Square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

in Watertown. The building was acquired by W. W. Taggart in 1877, and was renamed to the Taggart Block. On July 10, 1919, the building was destroyed by a fire with a loss of $300,000, . Winslow built almost 100 buildings in the southeastern portion of Watertown. Winslow was also CEO of the Watertown Fire Insurance Company, and a

shareholder A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of corporate stock refers to an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the ...

of the

Davis Sewing Machine Company The Davis Sewing Machine Company began in 1868 in Watertown, New York, and moved to Dayton, Ohio, around 1890. History Early Davis sewing machines, known as their "Vertical Feed" machines, did not use the conventional four motion feed, as invent ...

. Winslow was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

(18th D.) from 1870 to 1873, in the 93rd, 94th,

95th 95 or 95th may refer to: * 95 (number) * one of the years 95 BC, AD 95, 1995, 2095, etc. * 95th Division (disambiguation) * 95th Regiment ** 95th Regiment of Foot (disambiguation) * 95th Squadron (disambiguation) * Atomic number 95: americium * I ...

and

96th New York State Legislature The 96th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to May 30, 1873, during the first year of John A. Dix's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provision ...

s as a Republican. He was also a special agent in the U.S. Treasury Department from 1882 to 1890, but he quit because he was ill.

Personal life and death

Winslow married Julia Elizabeth Eddy on April 16, 1862, having two children, Harry Eddy Winslow, who was born on June 17, 1863, and Jenny Louise Winslow, who was born on February 21, 1865. Winslow died on May 10, 1900, and he was buried at Brookside Cemetery in Watertown, New York.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Winslow, Norris 1835 births 1900 deaths Republican Party New York (state) state senators Politicians from Watertown, New York American bankers 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature