Thomas Hamlin Hubbard (December 20, 1838 – May 19, 1915) was a Union Army colonel from

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

during 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 ...

who was awarded the honorary grade of brevet brigadier general,

United States Volunteers United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U.S. Volunteer Army, or other variations of these, were military volunteers called upon during wartime to assist the United States Army but who were separate from both the Regular Army (United ...

, for meritorious service. After the war, Hubbard was a lawyer, railroad executive, financier, businessman and philanthropist.Hunt and Brown, 1990, p. 300 Soldier, lawyer, philanthropist, and financier, Hubbard was best known for his enthusiasm for

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

exploration, which contributed to the discovery of the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

. Following the death of founding President Morris K. Jesup in 1908, he became President of the

Peary Arctic Club The Peary Arctic Club was an American-based Club (organization), club with the goal of promoting the Arctic expeditions of Robert Peary (1856–1920). This association of influential persons was able to overcome the opposition of the U.S. Nav ...

, which had been formed in 1898 to give Admiral

Robert E. Peary Robert Edwin Peary Sr. (; May 6, 1856 – February 20, 1920) was an American explorer and officer in the United States Navy who made several expeditions to the Arctic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was long credited as being ...

financial backing in his polar quest. Even after this quest had ended in success Hubbard's interest in the frozen north did not end, and he was one of the financial contributors to the Donald B. MacMillan expedition in the Arctic studying the native population.

Early life

Hubbard was born in

Hallowell, Maine Hallowell ( ) is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,570 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Popular with tourists, Hallowell is noted for its culture and old architecture. Hallowell is included in th ...

, December 20, 1838. He was the second son of Maine governor Dr. John Hubbard, who signed the unpopular Maine Liquor Law in 1851. After graduating from

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. It was chartered in 1794. The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River. In a ...

in 1857 and studying law, he was admitted to the bar. He then moved to

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 * ...

and began studies at

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary ...

. He received his

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1861, and was admitted to the New York bar.

In the Civil War

The Civil War soon broke out, and the young lawyer went to the front as a first lieutenant and adjutant with the 25th Maine Infantry, a nine-month regiment.Eicher and Eicher, 2001, p. 308. Hubbard later enlisted in the 30th Maine Infantry as lieutenant colonel. He had a hand in the construction of the famous Red River Dam, which was built to raise the water level so that Federal gunboats which had run aground could be floated out of danger, and his services as a whole were so conspicuous and so valuable that on June 2, 1864 he was made

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of his regiment. He succeeded Colonel Francis Fessenden, who had been promoted to brigadier general, U.S. Volunteers, May 10, 1864. Hubbard resigned his commission on July 23, 1865. On January 13, 1866,

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Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

nominated Hubbard to the honorary grade of brevet brigadier general, to rank from March 13, 1865.Eicher and Eicher, 2001, p. 748 The

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

confirmed the award on March 12, 1866.

Post-war life

On January 28, 1868, Hubbard married Sibyl A. Fahnestock of

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

. Two sons of this marriage died in childhood. Three children survived him, John and Anna W. Hubbard, and Mrs. Herbert S. Darlington.Hill, Edwin C
''The Historical Register: a biographical record of the men of our time who have contributed to the making of America''
New York: Edwin C. Hill, 1919. 8178682. Retrieved July 17, 2011. p. 193 Soon after the end of the war, Hubbard resumed the practice of law in New York. He gave the law up in 1894 in order to devote more time to his numerous business interests, including management of the estate of railroad magnate Mark Hopkins. He was Vice President of the

Southern Pacific Company The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the names ...

between 1896 and 1900, President of the Mexican International Railroad between 1894 and 1901 and from 1901 to 1912 of the Guatemala Central Railroad. From 1904 he was president of the International Banking Corporation (subsequently merged into the company now known as

Citibank Citibank, N.A. ("N. A." stands for "National bank (United States), National Association"; stylized as citibank) is the primary U.S. banking subsidiary of Citigroup, a financial services multinational corporation, multinational corporation. Ci ...

) and was a director of the

American Light and Traction American Light and Traction was founded in 1900 for the purpose for consolidating the utility industry's small, local power suppliers. By 1901, American Light and Traction owned and controlled over 40 gas producing plants, electric light and tra ...

Company,

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, w ...

, National Bank of Commerce in New York, Toledo, St. Louis and Western Railroad Company,

Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary con ...

Company and the

Western Union Telegraph Company The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company ch ...

. Hubbard was a philanthropist to many causes. Bowdoin College was a favorite object of his benefactions, and among the donations that remain are the splendid Hubbard Hall (designed by Henry Vaughan) and the fine grand stand which displays the motto, "Fair Play, and May the Best Man Win." A more enduring monument is Cape Thomas Hubbard, which, from the wind-swept coast of Grant Land, faces the North Pole across reaches of grinding pack-ice, over which Robert E. Peary, another Bowdoin man, carried the Stars and Stripes in 1909. Hubbard died in New York City on May 19, 1915. At the time of his death, he was commander-in-chief of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H. and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA, 2001. . * Hill, Edwin C
''The Historical Register: a biographical record of the men of our time who have contributed to the making of America''
New York: Edwin C. Hill, 1919. 8178682. Retrieved July 17, 2011. * Hunt, Roger D. and Brown, Jack R., ''Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue''. Olde Soldier Books, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD, 1990. . * .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbard, Thomas Hamlin 1838 births 1915 deaths New York (state) lawyers Philanthropists from Maine People of Maine in the American Civil War People from Hallowell, Maine Bowdoin College alumni Albany Law School alumni Union army colonels 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American philanthropists