Alonzo C. Mather
Encyclopedia
Alonzo Clark Mather was founder and president of the Mather Stock Car Company
, a U.S.
firm that built and leased railroad freight cars, especially stock car
s.
, in 1848, the second son of Dr. William Mather and Mary Ann (Buell) Mather. His father was a noted professor who traveled extensively, leaving his mother to raise him and his siblings. However, although Dr. Mather was away from home frequently for extended periods of time, he corresponded often with his family by mail. Alonzo Mather was a direct descendant of the Reverend Richard Mather
, grandfather of Cotton Mather
.
Alonzo Mather attended Fairfield Seminary
, and upon graduation, was allowed to choose between continuing his education in college or entering the workforce in business. He chose to forego college and went straight into work in Utica, New York
, when he was 16. After gaining work experience there, he moved to Quincy, Illinois
, and then to Chicago in 1875.
He married Martha C. Johnson and had one daughter by her, Martha J. Mather on April 28, 1879. Shortly after his daughter's birth, his wife died. Alonzo Mather remarried after her death to Louise Eames.
for the shipment of livestock
by rail. Mather's design amenities for the livestock included feeding and watering facilities that had previously been unapplied to railroad rolling stock. By 1881, he had started the Mather Stock Car Company
to build stock cars based on his design. Mather's stock car innovations were considered so valuable to livestock shipping that the American Humane Society awarded him a medal for the humane treatment of animals in 1883. Soon, Mather cars were in revenue service on a large number of railroads in North America
.
Mather recognized that many railroads would be willing to reduce their operating expenses by leasing rolling stock rather than purchasing or building it, so his company began leasing the cars that it produced — a practice that helped keep the company solvent through the Great Depression
of the 1930s.
Throughout his time in Chicago, Mather never forgot his home in New York. In 1893 he proposed a design for an international harbor on the waterways around Fort Erie, Ontario/ Buffalo, New York. Mather's plans included new electrical generation plants at the falls; his plans conflicted with those of other electricity companies in the area, and Mather's plan was eventually abandoned. The US-Canada
Peace Bridge
was constructed at that location within his lifetime, but it was not based on any of Mather's plans.
, Alonzo Mather's estate totaled around US$
5 million, $3 million of which was bequeathed to build the Alonzo Mather Aged Ladies' Home in Evanston, IL, and another $15,000 to build a new Episcopal church in his family's home town of Fairfield, NY.
The former headquarters of the Mather Stock Car Company, the Mather Tower
still stands in Chicago's elegant downtown area. The tower was designated as a Chicago Historic Landmark in 2001.
Mather LifeWays began as a gift distributed in 1941 from Alonzo's estate.
Mather Stock Car Company
The Mather Stock Car Company was a U.S. corporation that built railroad rolling stock. Mather specialized in stock cars, but built other types of cars as well, including boxcars. The company was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Their main headquarters building, Mather Tower, built in 1928 in...
, a U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
firm that built and leased railroad freight cars, especially stock car
Stock car (rail)
In railroad terminology, a stock car or cattle wagon is a type of rolling stock used for carrying livestock to market...
s.
Birth and education
Alonzo Mather was born in Fairfield, New YorkFairfield, New York
Fairfield is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,607 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Fairfield, Connecticut.The Town of Fairfield is north of the Village of Herkimer and east of Utica...
, in 1848, the second son of Dr. William Mather and Mary Ann (Buell) Mather. His father was a noted professor who traveled extensively, leaving his mother to raise him and his siblings. However, although Dr. Mather was away from home frequently for extended periods of time, he corresponded often with his family by mail. Alonzo Mather was a direct descendant of the Reverend Richard Mather
Richard Mather
Richard Mather , was a Puritan clergyman in colonial Boston, Massachusetts. He was father to Increase Mather and grandfather to Cotton Mather, both celebrated Boston divines.-Biography:...
, grandfather of Cotton Mather
Cotton Mather
Cotton Mather, FRS was a socially and politically influential New England Puritan minister, prolific author and pamphleteer; he is often remembered for his role in the Salem witch trials...
.
Alonzo Mather attended Fairfield Seminary
Fairfield Academy
Fairfield Academy was an academy that existed for nearly one hundred years in the Town of Fairfield, Herkimer County, New York.-Founding:It was organized as an academy for men in 1802, when the community was an active local manufacturing center...
, and upon graduation, was allowed to choose between continuing his education in college or entering the workforce in business. He chose to forego college and went straight into work in Utica, New York
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
, when he was 16. After gaining work experience there, he moved to Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
, and then to Chicago in 1875.
He married Martha C. Johnson and had one daughter by her, Martha J. Mather on April 28, 1879. Shortly after his daughter's birth, his wife died. Alonzo Mather remarried after her death to Louise Eames.
Starting his own businesses
In Chicago, Mather started a wholesale business called Alonzo C. Mather and Company. It was while Mather was working here that he first developed a more humane stock carStock car (rail)
In railroad terminology, a stock car or cattle wagon is a type of rolling stock used for carrying livestock to market...
for the shipment of livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
by rail. Mather's design amenities for the livestock included feeding and watering facilities that had previously been unapplied to railroad rolling stock. By 1881, he had started the Mather Stock Car Company
Mather Stock Car Company
The Mather Stock Car Company was a U.S. corporation that built railroad rolling stock. Mather specialized in stock cars, but built other types of cars as well, including boxcars. The company was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Their main headquarters building, Mather Tower, built in 1928 in...
to build stock cars based on his design. Mather's stock car innovations were considered so valuable to livestock shipping that the American Humane Society awarded him a medal for the humane treatment of animals in 1883. Soon, Mather cars were in revenue service on a large number of railroads in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Mather recognized that many railroads would be willing to reduce their operating expenses by leasing rolling stock rather than purchasing or building it, so his company began leasing the cars that it produced — a practice that helped keep the company solvent through the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s.
Throughout his time in Chicago, Mather never forgot his home in New York. In 1893 he proposed a design for an international harbor on the waterways around Fort Erie, Ontario/ Buffalo, New York. Mather's plans included new electrical generation plants at the falls; his plans conflicted with those of other electricity companies in the area, and Mather's plan was eventually abandoned. The US-Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Peace Bridge
Peace Bridge
The Peace Bridge is an international bridge between Canada and the United States at the east end of Lake Erie at the source of the Niagara River, about upriver of Niagara Falls. It connects the City of Buffalo, New York, in the United States to the Town of Fort Erie, Ontario, in Canada...
was constructed at that location within his lifetime, but it was not based on any of Mather's plans.
Death and legacy
Upon his death in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Alonzo Mather's estate totaled around US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
5 million, $3 million of which was bequeathed to build the Alonzo Mather Aged Ladies' Home in Evanston, IL, and another $15,000 to build a new Episcopal church in his family's home town of Fairfield, NY.
The former headquarters of the Mather Stock Car Company, the Mather Tower
Mather Tower
Mather Tower is a Neo-Gothic, terra cotta-clad high-rise structure in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
still stands in Chicago's elegant downtown area. The tower was designated as a Chicago Historic Landmark in 2001.
Mather LifeWays began as a gift distributed in 1941 from Alonzo's estate.