James G. Batterson
Encyclopedia
James Goodwin Batterson (Bloomfield, Connecticut), 23 February 1823 — Hartford, Connecticut
, 18 September 1901) was an American designer and builder, the owner of New England Granite Works from 1845 and a founder in 1863 of Travelers Insurance Company, both in Hartford, Connecticut. He introduced casualty insurance
in the United States, for which he was posthumously inducted into the Insurance Hall of Fame (1965).
He was prepared for college but did not attend (he was later awarded honorary degrees of M. A. from both Yale University
and Williams College
); instead he immersed himself in his father's business in quarrying and importing stone, briefly studied law, then opened a granite and marble company. Batterson spent several years in Egypt, and was recognized as such an authority of Egyptology, he became honorary secretary of the Egyptian Exploration Fund. While in Europe he studied art and wrote poetry. In England he was impressed with the record and success of the Railway Passenger Assurance Company, and resolved to gather a group of progressive men to launch a similar venture in the United States, the Travelers Insurance Company. He remained in charge until his death in 1901.
Before the Civil War
he designed and built the monument to Gen. William J. Worth
, New York City (1857). after the war Batterson supplied many cemetery and civil monuments.
As chairman of the Connecticut State War Committee in the Civil War he served as a construction consultant for the Union.
As Batterson was a leading supplier of granite and other construction stone, President Abraham Lincoln
appointed him building contractor for the Library of Congress
building in Washington D.C. Batterson also constructed the Masonic Temple in New York City and the Connecticut State Capitol
in Hartford, designed by Richard M. Upjohn
. He also constructed the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Building, Hartford, the Mutual Life Insurance Building, New York, the Equitable Life Insurance Building, New York, and the William K. Vanderbilt residence Marble House
, Newport, Rhode Island]]. He had granite quarries at Westerly, Rhode Island, and at Concord, New Hampshire
, and introduced mechanical granite polishing.
Batterson traveled to Italy to find talented sculptors to work on his designs for bronze and stone sculptures for national cemeteries and Civil War monuments. Many of the largest Civil War monuments were designed and built by Batterson, including those at the battlefields of Antietam
and Gettysburg
. He erected the bronze statue of Alexander Hamilton in Central Park
, New York; the Thayer Monument at West Point, New York; the Texas Revolutionary Monument in Galveston; and the Hallock Monument at San Francisco.
He joined forces with Elizabeth Colt
to make the Wadsworth Atheneum
a free public institution; on 16 October 1880, he was honored at the Atheneum by ex-President Ulysses S. Grant
for his contributions to historic preservation. He founded Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford, where he is interred and where many of his granite monuments may be seen.
He married Eunice Elizabeth, daughter of Jonathan goodwin, of Hartford. Batterson Hall at the University of Connecticut
commemorates his name.
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, 18 September 1901) was an American designer and builder, the owner of New England Granite Works from 1845 and a founder in 1863 of Travelers Insurance Company, both in Hartford, Connecticut. He introduced casualty insurance
Casualty insurance
Casualty insurance, often equated to liability insurance, is used to describe an area of insurance not directly concerned with life insurance, health insurance, or property insurance. It is mainly used to describe the liability coverage of an individual or organization's for negligent acts or...
in the United States, for which he was posthumously inducted into the Insurance Hall of Fame (1965).
He was prepared for college but did not attend (he was later awarded honorary degrees of M. A. from both Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
); instead he immersed himself in his father's business in quarrying and importing stone, briefly studied law, then opened a granite and marble company. Batterson spent several years in Egypt, and was recognized as such an authority of Egyptology, he became honorary secretary of the Egyptian Exploration Fund. While in Europe he studied art and wrote poetry. In England he was impressed with the record and success of the Railway Passenger Assurance Company, and resolved to gather a group of progressive men to launch a similar venture in the United States, the Travelers Insurance Company. He remained in charge until his death in 1901.
Before the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
he designed and built the monument to Gen. William J. Worth
William J. Worth
William Jenkins Worth was a United States general during the Mexican-American War.-Early life:Worth was born in 1794 in Hudson, New York, to Thomas Worth and Abigail Jenkins. Both of his parents were Quakers, but he rejected the pacifism of their faith...
, New York City (1857). after the war Batterson supplied many cemetery and civil monuments.
As chairman of the Connecticut State War Committee in the Civil War he served as a construction consultant for the Union.
As Batterson was a leading supplier of granite and other construction stone, President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
appointed him building contractor for the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
building in Washington D.C. Batterson also constructed the Masonic Temple in New York City and the Connecticut State Capitol
Connecticut State Capitol
The Connecticut State Capitol is located north of Capitol Avenue and south of Bushnell Park in Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. The building houses the Connecticut General Assembly; the upper house, the State Senate, and lower house, the House of Representatives, as well as the office of the...
in Hartford, designed by Richard M. Upjohn
Richard M. Upjohn
Richard Michell Upjohn, FAIA, was an influential American architect, co-founder and president of the American Institute of Architects.-Early life and career:...
. He also constructed the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Building, Hartford, the Mutual Life Insurance Building, New York, the Equitable Life Insurance Building, New York, and the William K. Vanderbilt residence Marble House
Marble House
Marble House is one of the Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, now open to the public as a museum. It was designed by the architect Richard Morris Hunt, and said to be inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles . Grounds were designed by noted landscape architect Ernest W...
, Newport, Rhode Island]]. He had granite quarries at Westerly, Rhode Island, and at Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, and introduced mechanical granite polishing.
Batterson traveled to Italy to find talented sculptors to work on his designs for bronze and stone sculptures for national cemeteries and Civil War monuments. Many of the largest Civil War monuments were designed and built by Batterson, including those at the battlefields of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
and Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
. He erected the bronze statue of Alexander Hamilton in Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, New York; the Thayer Monument at West Point, New York; the Texas Revolutionary Monument in Galveston; and the Hallock Monument at San Francisco.
He joined forces with Elizabeth Colt
Samuel P. Colt
Samuel Pomeroy Colt was an industrialist and politician from Rhode Island.He was born in Paterson, New Jersey on January 10, 1852, the youngest of six children born to Christopher Colt and Theodora Goujand DeWolf Colt of Bristol, Rhode Island...
to make the Wadsworth Atheneum
Wadsworth Atheneum
The Wadsworth Atheneum is the oldest public art museum in the United States, with significant holdings of French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School landscapes, modernist masterpieces and contemporary works, as well as extensive holdings in early American furniture and...
a free public institution; on 16 October 1880, he was honored at the Atheneum by ex-President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
for his contributions to historic preservation. He founded Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford, where he is interred and where many of his granite monuments may be seen.
He married Eunice Elizabeth, daughter of Jonathan goodwin, of Hartford. Batterson Hall at the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
commemorates his name.