Maria Bissell Hotchkiss
| Maria Bissell Hotchkiss | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
August 14, 1827 Salisbury, Connecticut |
| Died |
November 10, 1901 (aged 74) New York City |
| Resting place | Town Hill Cemetery, Lakeville, Connecticut |
| Education | Amenia Academy |
| Occupation | Educator |
| Spouse(s) | Benjamin B. Hotchkiss |
| Parent(s) |
William Bissell Eliza Ann Loveland |
Maria (Harrison) Bissell Hotchkiss (August 14, 1827 – November 10, 1901) was an American heiress, philanthropist, and educator. In 1891 she founded The Hotchkiss School, a private boarding school in Lakeville, Connecticut.
Biography
Early life
Maria Harrison Bissell was born on August 14, 1827 in Salisbury, Connecticut.[1][2] Her father was William Bissell (1794-1869), and her mother was Eliza Ann Loveland (1800-1841). She grew up on a farm in Salisbury named "Tory Hill" with her two brothers, William Loveland Bissell (1833-1922) and Charles H. Bissell (1829-1928). She was a member of the famed Bissell family and related to Presidents William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison.[1] She was educated at Amenia Academy.[1]
Career
She worked as a teacher at her alma mater, Amenia Academy.[1]
Upon receiving her husband's inheritance, she considered macadamizing the streets of Salisbury and Sharon, Connecticut for use by automobiles.[1] However, the idea was rejected by both towns, who thought the upkeep would be too expensive.[1] Instead, she was convinced by Timothy Dwight V, the President of Yale University, to start a preparatory school.[1] As a result, she founded The Hotchkiss School, a private boarding school in Lakeville, in 1891.[3][4] A philanthropist, she donated the land, the buildings and the endowment for the school.[4] The Hotchkiss School purchased "Tory Hill," the farm where Mrs. Hotchkiss was born and spent her childhood, in 2010.[5]
In 1893, she founded the Hotchkiss Library in Sharon, Connecticut.[6][7] She helped choose the architectural design.[7]
Personal life
She married Benjamin B. Hotchkiss on 27 May 1850.[8] However, he permanently moved to Paris in 1867 and became a bigamist, marrying a Miss Cunningham from New York.[1] Later, she resided at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.[4]
Death
She died on November 10, 1901 in New York City.[9] She was buried in Lakeville with her Bissell relatives in the Town Hill Cemetery, which lies within the campus of The Hotchkiss School.[4][1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Birmingham, Stephen (1992). "What Made Maria Do It?". In Kolowrat, Ernest. Hotchkiss: A Chronicle of an American School. New York: New Amsterdam Books. pp. 1–12. ISBN 1-56131-058-1.
- ↑ "Maria Bissell Hotchkiss: The First Lady of Town Hill". Hotchkiss Magazine (Fall 2016). Lakeville, CT: The Hotchkiss School. 15 December 2016. p. 15. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
- ↑ Lael Tucker Wertenbaker, Maude Hill Basserman, The Hotchkiss School: A Portrait, Hotchkiss School, 1966, p. 1
- 1 2 3 4 The New Encyclopædia Britannica: Macropaedia : Knowledge in depth, Encyclopædia Britannica, 1975, p. 93
- ↑ "Hotchkiss Buys Property". The Litchfield County Times. Digital First Media. 8 July 2010. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ↑ Hotchkiss Library website
- 1 2 Sharon Historical Society, Sharon, Arcadia Publishing, 2014, p. 47
- ↑ "Maria Bissell-Hotchkiss". Musee de Chevau. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ↑ The American and English Annotated Cases: Containing the Important Cases Selected from the Current American, Canadian, and English Reports. 13. Edward Thompson Co. 1909. p. 861. Retrieved 24 February 2017.