Philip Wadsworth (March 7, 1832 – September 12, 1901) was an American dry goods merchant, politician, and military leader. Born to the prominent Wadsworth family in

New Hartford, Connecticut New Hartford is a New England town, town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 6,658 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut, Northwest Hill ...

, he attended private academies until he was sixteen, when he entered the dry goods trade. In 1853, he moved to

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, to join his brother in his dry goods operation, eventually rising to become president of Philip Wadsworth & Co., a clothing store. Wadsworth was also interested in the military, and although he never officially served, he maintained a military company where soldiers could train in advance of the

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 ...

. Later in his life he returned to Connecticut, where he served a two-year term in the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each ...

Biography

Philip Wadsworth was born on March 7, 1832, in

. The Wadsworths were a prominent family in Connecticut; his great uncle

Jeremiah Jeremiah ( – ), also called Jeremias, was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition, Jeremiah authored the Book of Jeremiah, book that bears his name, the Books of Kings, and the Book of Lamentations, with t ...

was a government official for the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

and his father Tertius was a wealthy real estate developer. Philip Wadsworth was raised in New Hartford and attended public schools before studying at

Williston Seminary Williston Northampton School (simply referred to as Williston) is a private, co-educational, day and boarding college-preparatory school in Easthampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1841. History Williston Seminary wa ...

and the Connecticut Baptist Literary Institute. After graduating at the age of sixteen, Wadsworth forwent further study at a college in favor of entering the dry goods business. He took a position in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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 * ...

with Hopkins, Allen & Co., who specialized in importing European goods. In 1853, Wadsworth's brother Elisha S. invited him to

, to join the dry goods house of Cooley, Wadsworth & Co. Wadsworth rose to become the president of the clothing supplier spun off from the company, and after his co-partners died, it became known as Philip Wadsworth & Co. The company had annual revenues exceeding one million dollars, including a woolen goods manufactury in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. He enjoyed reading about military matters and founded the Chicago Light Guard, a uniformed military company. When the

broke out, most of the soldiers were able to join the active service in ranked positions. He maintained the company for one more year after the star of the war as a training service. Wadsworth was offered a regiment with the rank of colonel by Governor Richard Yates, but he declined, citing the need to maintain his business interests. In 1862, President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

appointed Wadsworth

tax assessor Tax assessment, or assessment, is the job of determining the value, and sometimes determining the use, of property, usually to calculate a property tax. This is usually done by an office called the assessor or tax assessor. Governments need to ...

for the First District of Illinois, although he only held the position for one year before resigning. He was later an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

for Chicago. In 1867, Wadsworth was appointed a representative of 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 ...

for the construction of the

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building. He was elected the first president of the

Chicago Club The Chicago Club, founded in 1869, is a private social club located at 81 East Van Buren Street at Michigan Avenue in the Loop neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Its membership has included many of Chicago's most prominent ...

upon its founding in 1869. In 1874 he was appointed Collector of Internal Revenue of the 1st District of Illinois by President Grant, and held that post until his resignation the following year.Grant, Ulysses S. The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant: 1873. N.p.: SIU, 1967. Print Wadsworth returned to Connecticut later in his life. In 1895, he was elected as a Republican to the

, serving a two-year term. Wadsworth married Georgiana H. Loomis in 1855. They had two children: Philip (died in infancy) and Emily. He died in Chicago on September 12, 1901, and was buried in Woodfield Cemetery in

Suffield, Connecticut Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region, and located in the Connecticut River Valley. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wadsworth, Philip 1832 births 1901 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople American businesspeople in retailing Businesspeople from Chicago Businesspeople from Connecticut Chicago City Council members Illinois Republicans Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives People from New Hartford, Connecticut People of Illinois in the American Civil War Wadsworth family 19th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly