Julius Catlin

Summary

Julius Catlin (December 14, 1798 – April 23, 1888) was an American politician who was the 49th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1858 to 1861.[1] His estate was valued at $726,000 at his death in 1888, and was made a Colonel before entering the dry goods business.[2]

Julius Catlin
49th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut
In office
1858–1861
GovernorWilliam Alfred Buckingham
Preceded byAlfred A. Burnham
Succeeded byBenjamin Douglas
Personal details
Born(1798-12-14)December 14, 1798
DiedJanuary 21, 1888(1888-01-21) (aged 89)
Hartford, Connecticut
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Mary Fisher
(died 1888)

Early life edit

Catlin was born on December 14, 1798, to Grove Catlin, and was from Hartford in Hartford County, Connecticut.[3] His sister, Flora Belle Catlin (1794–1878), an artist and a teacher of the arts at the Hartford Female Seminary, lived with him after the death of their father.[4]

Career edit

Catlin was a successful dry goods merchant in Hartford,[5] and "accumulated a large property."[6]

Catlin was interested in public affairs and after winning election, served as the Republican Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1858 to 1861,[7] under the famous "war governor" William Alfred Buckingham. He also presided over the Connecticut State Senate.

Personal life edit

Catlin was married to Mary Fisher (1803–1888),[8] a native of Wrentham, Massachusetts, a descendant of John Mason[9] "whose ancestors crossed the ocean with the Pilgrims on the Mayflower."[5] Together, they lived in Hartford and had a home at Watch Hill in Rhode Island and were the parents of:[6]

  • Mary Jane Catlin (1830–1836), who died in childhood.
  • Hannah Maria Catlin (1831–1880), who married Benjamin Kinsman Phelps, the law partner of future U.S. President Chester A. Arthur who served as New York County District Attorney.[10]
  • Julius Catlin Jr. (1833–1893),[11] who was a dry goods merchant who married Frances Helen Hunt (b. 1839) in 1862.[12]
  • Charles Catlin (1837–1918), a woolen merchant with Mullen & Co. who married Laura Almina Wood of Rouses Point, granddaughter of Eliza Yale and Joshua P. Hammond of the Yale family.[5][13]
  • Mary Catlin (1839–1839), who died in infancy.

Catlin died at his home in Hartford (the former home of Lydia Huntley Sigourney) on April 23, 1888.[6] He was buried at the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford. At the time of his death, the principal value of his estate was $726,000.[14]

Descendants edit

 
Chateau d'Annel, Julia Hunt Catlin's property used during World War I

Through his son Julius, he was the paternal grandfather of three girls, Julia Hunt Catlin (1864–1947), Edith Catlin and May Catlin.[14]

Julia became multimillionaire, received the Croix de Guerre and Legion d'honneur, and was married three times.

Firstly, she married to Trenor Luther Park, son of Trenor W. Park, a founder of the Republican Party of California and business rival of robber baron Jay Gould. He was the proprietor of banks and railroads and was an associate of Horace Henry Baxter and Cornelius Vanderbilt. His grandfather was Congressman and Governor of Vermont Hiland Hall.

She married secondly to C. Mitchell Depew, a nephew of Senator Chauncey Depew, who became Secretary of State of New York, President of the New York Central Railroad for Cornelius Vanderbilt, and a founding member of the Yale Club. He was also a member of The Four Hundred of the Gilded Age, President of the Linonian Society, and a member of the Skulls and Bones.

Thirdly, she married to Emile Adolphe Taufflieb, a French Senator and General during World War I.[15]

References edit

  1. ^ Brief Descriptions of Connecticut State Agencies, Lieutenant Governor Archived 2007-10-26 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Men of Mark, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb 1915, Sun ·Page 25
  3. ^ Men of Mark, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb 1915, Sun ·Page 25
  4. ^ French, Harry Willard (2009). Art and Artists in Connecticut. BiblioBazaar. p. 167. ISBN 9781110242856. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Croonberg's Gazette of Fashions. 1918. p. 105. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "Obituary Notes | Ex-Lieut.-Gov. Julius Catlin" (PDF). The New York Times. 24 April 1888. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Governors Lieutenant Governors". CT.gov. Connecticut's Official State Website. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  8. ^ "DIED. CATLIN" (PDF). The New York Times. 24 January 1888. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  9. ^ "HOME NEWS Death of Mrs. Julius Catlin". Hartford Courant. January 21, 1888. p. 1. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  10. ^ Green, Samuel Abbott (1892). An Account of the Lawyers of Groton, Massachusetts: Including Natives who Have Practised Elsewhere, and Those Also who Have Studied Law in the Town : with an Appendix. J. Wilson and son. p. 97. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  11. ^ "JULIUS CATLIN DEAD; A Prominent New-York Merchant Dies Suddenly in Canada" (PDF). The New York Times. 21 July 1893. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  12. ^ Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University. Yale University. 1900. p. 232. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  13. ^ "Yale genealogy and history of Wales : the British kings and princes, life of Owen Glyndwr, biographies of Governor Elihu Yale, for whom Yale University was named, Linus Yale, Sr. ... and other noted persons" (PDF). Forgotten Books. p. 372. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  14. ^ a b "THE CATLIN ESTATE TO BE DIVIDED.; It Will Go to the Grandchildren of Lieut. Gov. Catlin" (PDF). The New York Times. 26 July 1893. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  15. ^ "MME. EMIL TAUFFLIEB" (PDF). The New York Times. 23 December 1947. Retrieved 26 April 2017.

External links edit

Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut
1858–1861
Succeeded by