Harlow Niles Higinbotham (1838 - 1919)

Born 10 Oct 1838 in New Lenox, Will County, Illinois, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Rachel Deborah (Davison) Higinbotham — married 7 Dec 1865 in Joliet, Will, Illinois, United States

Descendants

Died 18 Apr 1919 at age 80 in New York, New York, United States

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Biography

Harlow Higinbotham is Notable.

Private Harlow Higinbotham served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: 1862
Mustered out: 1864
Side: USA

Civil War Veteran

Chicago merchant, businessman, and philanthropist.

Harlow was born on a farm near Joliet, Illinois to Henry Dumont and Rebecca (Wheeler) Higginbotham. He was educated in his native state and served as a volunteer in the Civil War. He went on to be employed by a small dry goods house in Chicago which later became Marshall Fields. Harlow was a partner in the Marshall Field Company and prior to that, was instrumental in helping to save much of the State Street store merchandise during the great Chicago fire. He would remain with the firm until his retirement.

"On 18 April 1919 Harlow met a tragic death while visiting New York to “meet the boys” of Illinois who had recently returned from serving in the U.S. military during the Great War. He set out from his residence at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Central Park to the New York headquarters of the Illinois Soldiers’ Welcome Committee at 107 East 34th Street. Along the way, he stepped into the street at Madison Avenue and 45th Street and was struck by a U.S. Army ambulance that hurled him into the pavement. The truck driver (identified as both Corporal Frank Nooven and Frederick Norren) transported him to the Army Debarkation Hospital, where he died several hours later from a fractured skull. Chicagoans remembered Higinbotham as “a man of high ideals”, “a big, generous man” and “one of the best citizens Chicago ever had.” The Chicago Tribune noted that “he was one of the citizens who made the Columbian exposition possible.” " ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ https://worldsfairchicago1893.com/2020/04/18/harlow-higinbotham/

• Harlow N. Higinbotham Letters: https://mms.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/1089
• A Tribute to Harlow N. Higinbotham, President of the World’s Columbian Exposition: https://worldsfairchicago1893.com/2020/04/18/harlow-higinbotham/
• Memoir of Harlow Niles Higginbotham Link
• BURIAL: Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
• Find A Grave: Memorial #47180531 Harlow Niles Higinbotham