Rufus Mathewson Rose (born May 17, 1836, in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...

; died July 21, 1910, in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

), was an American businessman. After growing up and receiving a primary and secondary education in that state, he moved to

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 ...

, where he practiced as a druggist, and then on to

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, where he worked in a sailors' hospital. Before the start of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Rose had studied medicine, received a diploma and moved to

Hawkinsville, Georgia Hawkinsville is a city in Middle Georgia and the county seat of Pulaski County, Georgia, United States. As of 2020, it has a population of 3,980. The city is known as the "Harness Horse Capital of Georgia" and holds an annual Harness Horse Fest ...

. When the war broke out in 1861, Rose joined the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

's Tenth Georgia Regiment as a foot soldier, but was quickly reassigned to

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It had a population of 15,425 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern par ...

, where he worked in the army's medical department. Due to a personal injury, Rose was

honorably discharged A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve. Each country's military has different types of discharge. They are generally based on whether the persons completed their training and the ...

in December 1861, but his services in creating medicines for the Confederate army continued until just before the end of the war. After the war, Rose moved to

. In 1867, he founded the R. M. Rose Co. Distillery, also known as the Mountain Spring Distillery, in

Vinings, Georgia Vinings is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Cobb County, Georgia, United States that runs along the Chattahoochee River bank across from Buckhead. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a total population of 12,581. ...

, a then-small community twelve miles north of Atlanta. He sold his

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

and

rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...

whiskies Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...

to the public from retail outlets he owned and operated in Atlanta. According to some accounts, his company established the whiskey brand Four Roses in 1888, likely named in honor of him, his brother Origen, and their two sons. The brand is still produced, and was the top selling brand of Bourbon in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. The brand is currently owned by the

Kirin Brewery Company is a Japanese beer and beverage holding company. It is known for brands such as Kirin Beer, Kirin Lemon, Mets, and Gogo no Kōcha. The predecessor of the company, the Japan Brewery Company, was founded in Yokohama in 1885 by William Henry Tal ...

of Japan and produced at the Four Roses distillery in

Lawrenceburg, Kentucky Lawrenceburg is a home rule-class city in Anderson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,728 at the 2020 census. It is the seat of its county. Lawrenceburg is part of the Frankfort, Kentucky, micropolitan statistical area. ...

. However, the actual origin of the Four Roses brand is not well established, and current brand owners do not mention Rufus M. Rose in their version of its history.Four Roses Bourbon History
page on Four Roses brand website. In addition to selling liquor, Rose was the owner of a large real estate business known as the Rose Investment Company. Rose died of heart failure on July 21, 1910, in his Victorian mansion – the Rufus M. Rose House – which still stands on

Peachtree Street Peachtree Street is one of several major streets running through the city of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Beginning at Five Points (Atlanta), Five Points in downtown Atlanta, it runs North through Midtown Atlanta, Midtown; a few blocks afte ...

in the SoNo district of Atlanta. His remains are interred in the Rose mausoleum at Oakland Cemetery.City of Atlanta Online: Rufus M. Rose House
/ref>''Atlanta Historic Resources Workbook'' by the Atlanta Urban Design Commission, September 1981''AIA Guide to the Architecture of Atlanta'': University of Georgia Press, 1993Atlanta Preservation Center's ''SoNo/Midtown Commercial District Tour Guide'': APC, 2009

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Rufus M. 1836 births 1910 deaths Businesspeople from Connecticut Physicians from Connecticut American drink distillers People from New London, Connecticut People from Hawkinsville, Georgia People from Vinings, Georgia Burials at Oakland Cemetery (Atlanta) 19th-century American businesspeople