William Ellery Hale (April 8, 1836 – November 16, 1898) was an American businessman, real estate investor and civic leader. He was the president of the Hale Elevator Company, one of the first hydraulic elevator companies in the United States. He owned many buildings in

Chicago 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 ...

Early life

Hale was born on April 8, 1836, in

Bradford, Massachusetts Bradford is a village and former town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Eastern Bradford is the current town of Groveland, while western Bradford was annexed by the city of Haverhill, and today consists of the part of Haverhill o ...

. He graduated from the Hartford High School.

Career

Hale first worked as a clerk in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

. He joined the Rock River Paper Company in

Beloit, Wisconsin Beloit ( ) is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 36,657 people. Beloit is a principal city of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Janesville–Beloit metropolitan statistical area (Rock Co ...

, in 1857, and he was transferred to their Chicago store in 1862, where he worked until 1871. Hale founded W. E. Hale & Co., a Chicago-based company which pioneered the construction of hydraulic elevators in the West, in 1870. Hale sold it to the

Otis Elevator Company Otis Worldwide Corporation (trade name, branded as the Otis Elevator Company, its former legal name) styled as OTIS is an American company that develops, manufactures and markets elevators, escalators, moving walkways, and related equipment. ...

in 1887. Hale was a real estate investor in Chicago, where he owned many buildings, including the

Reliance Building The Reliance Building is a skyscraper located at 1 W. Washington Street in the Chicago Loop, Loop Community areas of Chicago, community area of Chicago, Illinois. The first floor and basement were designed by John Root of the Burnham and Root ar ...

. He also invested in the railroads.

Civic activities

Hale donated $70,000 to

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1846 when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It has an enrollment of roughly 1,000 undergradua ...

in 1892. He made donations New West Educational Commission, which built schools in

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, and he supported the American Board of Foreign Missions

Personal life and death

Hale married Mary Scranton Brown in 1862. They had two sons, including

George Ellery Hale George Ellery Hale (June 29, 1868 – February 21, 1938) was an American astrophysicist, best known for his discovery of magnetic fields in sunspots, and as the leader or key figure in the planning or construction of several world-leading ...

, who became an astronomer, and a daughter. They resided at 4545 South Drexel Boulevard in Chicago. Hale was a member of the South Congregational Church in Chicago. Hale died of

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine. It was frequently accompanied ...

on November 16, 1898, in Chicago. He was buried in the

Oak Woods Cemetery Oak Woods Cemetery is a large lawn cemetery in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Located at 1035 E. 67th Street, it is in the Greater Grand Crossing area of Chicago's South Side. Established on February 12, 1853, it covers . Oak Woods is th ...

References

1836 births 1898 deaths People from Bradford, Massachusetts Businesspeople from Chicago Beloit College people 19th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1830s-stub