Sidney Root

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Sidney Root (March 11, 1824–1897) an American engineer and businessman.

Root was born in Montague in western Massachusetts, but early in his life his family moved to Vermont, where his boyhood days were spent in the shadow of the Green Mountains. On his father's plantation he acquired the industrious habits which characterized him through life. Though prevented by reason of his father's limited resources from attending school more than three months in the year, he made the most of his meager opportunities and soon found architecture was the passion of his youthful mind. He possessed exceptional talents for skillful and accurate designing, but his practical father considering that such an accomplishment was comparatively worthless, refused to encourage it, and so apprenticed his fourteen year old son to an indifferent sort of a jeweler who taught him the business of watch-making.

In 1842, he came to Lumpkin County, Georgia to clerk for Vermont-native William A. Rawson who later married Root's sister. He did well but wanted larger opportunities. He came to Atlanta to work on the Georgia Railroad (originally apprenticed to Lemuel Grant), later he was a successful dry goods merchant, co-founding the "Beach and Root" firm. At the beginning of the American Civil War he helped organize the Board of Direct Trade to ensure Confederate trade to Europe was not disrupted. In this capacity he was sent to Europe but he returned home only to find his immense property interests destroyed by the invader and himself under arrest. As soon as he obtained his release he sold out his remaining fragments of rel estate to Gov. Joseph E. Brown and went to New York, where he again established himself in business, maintaining connection with Liverpool and Charleston. He remained there until 1878 when he closed out his business in the metropolis and came to Atlanta.

From the date of his return until the time of his death he was one of its foremost citizens and when it was decided to hold the International Cotton Exposition in 1881, Mr. Root was commissioned to visit Europe in behalf of the enterprise where he successfully sold shares in the corporation.

Root was a great lover of nature and he suggested old colleague Lemuel Grant donate land to create a park. Soon after, in 1883, Root was named park commissioner by mayor John B. Goodwin in which office he was largely responsible for the construction of Grant Park. He served as chairman of the city's board of park commissioners for years, bringing to bear his artistic tastes as well as his ripe experience in beautifying what was then a resort at Grant Park.

His two sons were architects: John Wellborn Root, chief architect of the World Columbian Exposition and Walter Root in Kansas City.