Abner Weyman Colgate

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Abner Weyman Colgate (born August 30, 1838 in New York , † March 20, 1904 in Pasadena , California ) was an American entrepreneur , author and patron .

Life

Abner Weyman Colgate came from the wealthy industrial family Colgate , whose name is still known today for their care products and toothpaste , and was the son of Robert Colgate and Cornelie F. Weyman (and grandson of the company's founder William Colgate ). He graduated from Yale University . In 1858 he finished his studies and then went on a “tour” through Europe - typical for the sons of rich East Coast families.

From 1861 he worked in his father's company R. Colgate & Co. in New York. In this context he made frequent trips to Europe. On November 23, 1869, he married Charlotte Elizabeth Blake (?? - 1880), the daughter of Stephen Mann Blake and Elizabeth Ann Hoyt, in Manhattan . In 1878 he retired from active business life, but maintained a "private office" until 1895. In 1883 he married Margaret Garr for the second time . He has sponsored the American Museum of Natural History , Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Geographical Society, among others .

Abner Colgate unexpectedly died of a heart attack in Pasadena on March 20, 1904, childless . He was a member of St. Peter's Protestant Episcopal Church in Morristown, where he last lived.

Colgate's visit to Bad Kissingen

Colgate's travelogue "Three Weeks in Kissingen" is a historical source that shows astonishing relationships between Bad Kissingen and the USA . For example, artificial Kissinger water, which was produced in the United States, is reported twice in the text. So far, four companies have been able to produce "Kissingen Water". These are the companies Angerstein in El Paso ( Texas ), Read in Baltimore ( Maryland ), Hanbury Smith in Cincinnati ( Ohio ) and Saratoga Kissingen in Saratoga ( New York ). The book by MLH Arnold Snow Mechanical Vibration and its Therapeutic Application speaks of 'pillow gene tablets' (i.e. tablets) that can be dissolved in water to obtain kissingen water .

In the rich families of the American east coast, it was considered mandatory to stay longer in Europe. It was mainly the young men who were sent to Germany on tour or to study. The German university system in particular was considered exemplary at that time and attempts were made to copy it in the USA.

Abner Colgate's stay in Europe was of a business nature. In 1867 a London doctor sent him to Bad Kissingen for a cure. His health was obviously in poor health throughout his life. He retired from active business life at an early age and often spent summer in the American southern states . His sudden death has also been linked to his health problems.

Works

  • The Development of American Architecture , The Continental Monthly, New York 1864, Volume V, page 466 ff.
  • Three weeks at Kissingen. The Galaxy Miscellany, New York 1868, Volume VI, page 262 ff.
  • Steam Travel in Cities , Putnam´s Magazine, New York 1869, third volume, page 81 ff.
  • Can the Trip to Europe Be Shortened? , The Galaxy, New York 1873, Volume XX, page 41 ff.

literature

  • Yale University: Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University , Yale College June 1904, 337 f.
  • (Obituary?) , In The New York Times, New York March 22, 1904
  • Snow, Mary Lydia Hastings Arnold: Mechanical vibration and its therapeutic application , New York 1904.
  • Künzl, Thomas: Three weeks in Kissingen , in: Main-Post from April 21, 2007, Würzburg 2007.
  • Werner Eberth : Kissingen Water made in America , in Saale-Zeitung Bad Kissingen April 17, 2007.

Web links

Wikisource: Colgate's travel report from Kissingen at Wikisource  - sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "Going on tour" was the established phrase for this trip by young US men (rarely women!)
  2. ↑ The following article appeared in the New York Times , although it is not clear whether this was an obituary: Morristown, NJ, March 21. - Abner W. Colgate was one of the wealthiest residents of this city. His home is one of the finest properties on Madison Avenue - the most modern around. He is a member of the Colgate family from New York and Robert Colgate from that city is his brother. Mr. Colgate used to be very active in the business world, but after his health deteriorated he left the management of Colgate's interests to his brothers. He was preparing to return to the east. According to his instructions, his house should be prepared for April 10th. He expected to leave Pasadena on Saturday this week and planned to make a few stops while traveling eastward. He was accompanied to California by Mrs. Colgate and his sister, Mrs. George F. Stone. NYT, March 22, 1904
  3. ↑ Main source for biography: Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University , Yale College June 1904, page 337 f.
  4. ↑ This travelogue belongs to a typical American literary genre . It can be compared to Mark Twain's The Guilty Abroad (Stroll through Europe) from 1869 or John Lothrop Motley's travel reports in his correspondence (published in Germany in 1890).
  5. ^ Complete print: Künzl, Thomas: Drei Wochen in Kissingen , in: Main-Post from April 21, 2007
personal data
SURNAME Colgate, Abner Weyman
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American businessman
DATE OF BIRTH August 30, 1838
PLACE OF BIRTH new York
DATE OF DEATH March 20, 1904
Place of death Pasadena , California