George William Curtis (1824 - 1892)

Born 24 Feb 1824 in Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Husband of Anna (Shaw) Curtis — married 28 Nov 1856 in Connecticut, United States.

Died 31 Aug 1892 at age 68 in Richmond, New York, United States

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Biography

Writer and public speaker, he was one of the original cofounders of the Republican Party. As a young man he toured Europe, Egypt, and Syria. Ambitious to become a writer, he settled on Staten Island and began to surround himself with influential people.

He obtained a post on The Tribune, and became a popular lecturer. In 1851, he authored Nile Notes of a Howadji. He became a writer and assistant editor for Putnam's Magazine. He wrote several volumes composed of essays that he wrote for Harper's Weekly. A satirist of polite society, he was a favorite in these circles.

He married Anna Shaw, sister of Robert Gould Shaw, colonel of the first Black regiment in the Union Army. The 54th Massachusetts would gain fame for their attack on Battery Wagner on James Island, South Carolina in July of 1863. Curtis spoke publicly and campaigned for John C. Freemont's Republican campaign for president. He became increasingly influential in his opinions.

In 1863, he became senior editor of Harper's Weekly. Considered by most to be of high moral standards, he began a weekly column discussing social and literary subjects of the day. He was offered several appointments in the Republican Party and, in 1871, was appointed by President Grant to be chairman of the commission on the reform of civil service. Instrumental in the halt to political patronage, he was president of the National Civil Service Reform League and the New York Civil Service Reform Association.

In 1884, he refused to support the Republican nominee for president and broke with the party. He became known as one of the original independant types in American politics. Curtis would continue to speak publicly on major topics until late in his life.

His final, and possibly most important role, was to be one of the first members of the Board of Education in what was to become New York city.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ *Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 08 October 2018), memorial page for George William Curtis (24 Feb 1824–31 Aug 1892), Find A Grave Memorial no. 24585146, citing Moravian Cemetery, New Dorp, Richmond County (Staten Island), New York, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave (contributor 8) .

• "The Descendants of Nath'l Russell Sturgis: With a brief introductory sketch of his ancestors in England and the Massachusetts Colony. Published by George H. Ellis, Boston, MA, USA, 1900;
• "USA National Census 1880, West New Brighton, Richmond Co., New York"
• "Ancestry.com. U.S. Find A Grave Index"