John Lewis Childs

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Senator John Lewis Childs
Member of the New York Legislature
from the 2nd District district
In office
1894 – 1898
Born May 13, 1856 (1856-05-13) (age 152)
Jay, Maine
Died 6 March 1921 (aged 64)
Floral Park, New York
Nationality American
Political party Republican
Spouse Caroline Goldsmith Childs
Residence Floral Park
Occupation Horticulturalist

John Lewis Childs (1856-1921)[1] was a horticultural businessman and politician who founded Floral Park, New York. In addition to a widespread reputation for being a zealous ornithologist,[2] Childs is also credited with founding the first seed catalog business in the United States.[3]

Contents

[edit] About

Childs was born in Franklin County, Maine, and grew up in Buckfield. His career in horticulture began in 1874, when he took a job with C. L. Allen of Queens. Soon afterwards he began renting, then buying land in nearby East Hinsdale, Queens County, near other nurseries.

[edit] Business

Within five years of building his own seed and bulb business and starting America's first seed catalog business, Childs established a bustling business. The volume of his business is attributed with the expansion of the Floral Park Post Office and nearby village businesses. Additionally, Childs was responsible for building more than 20 buildings in Floral Park, including hotels, lumber mills and his own printing press. He also provided a public park for the community,[4] built the first school in town, and served as the first town president, which later became the office of mayor.[5]

[edit] Politics

In 1894, and after a contested race,[6] again in 1896 he was elected New York State Senator from Floral Park,[7] and during his term he ferried a bill establishing a State Normal School in nearby Jamaica. He ran for U.S. Congress twice, losing both times.

[edit] Land holdings

Childs bought a great deal of land in the area around Floral Park.[8] His extensive land holdings related mainly to his seed catalog business, with more than 1,000 acres used for that purpose near St. James, New York and eastern Long Island.[9] Today, "Flowerfields" is an area within St. James that was originally founded by Childs around 1909.

[edit] Ornithology

Childs maintained one of the largest private ornithology libraries in the United States, and had more than 700 personally collected specimens in his collection.[10] He was also a friend of John Burroughs, founder of the Wilderness Society, who contributed articles on birds to Childs’ magazine called The Warbler.

[edit] Death

Childs died aboard a New York Central train from Albany to New York City in 1921. His company continued to operate in the 1920s, only stopping in the Great Depression. His wife sold the seed catalog operation to the Edward T. Bromfield Seed Company in the mid 1920s. Childs’ realty holdings were sold in the mid 1930’s, valued by the broker at $2,000,000. Childs's ornate 18 room Victorian house in Floral Park was torn down in 1950.[11]


[edit] References

  1. ^ "John L. Childs dies on Central Train", New York Times. March 6, 1921. Retrieved 12/30/07.
  2. ^ American Ornithologists' Union, Nuttall Ornithological Club. (1918) The Auk: Quarterly Journal of Ornithology. p 93.
  3. ^ The history of Floral Park, Village of Floral Park. Accessed September 15, 2007.
  4. ^ Ross, P. (1903) "John Lewis Childs", History of Long Island: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. p 247.
  5. ^ The history of Floral Park, Village of Floral Park. Accessed September 15, 2007.
  6. ^ "May fight for a Senate seat", New York Times. December 16, 1895. Retrieved 12/30/07.
  7. ^ "John Lewis Childs a Winner", New York Times. October 11, 1895. Retrieved 12/30/07.
  8. ^ The history of Floral Park, Village of Floral Park. Accessed September 15, 2007.
  9. ^ Weidman, B.S. (1981) Nassau County, Long Island, in Early Photographs, 1869-1940. Courier Dover Publications. p 49.
  10. ^ American Ornithologists' Union, Nuttall Ornithological Club. (1918) The Auk: Quarterly Journal of Ornithology. p 93.
  11. ^ Laby, D. (2004) "John Lewis Childs, James D. Mooney, Flowerfield: Some historical footnotes". Retrieved 12/28/07.

[edit] External links