Hoyt Sherman
Encyclopedia
Major Hoyt Sherman a member of the prominent Sherman family, was an American
banker.
, the son of Charles R. Sherman, Judge of the Ohio Supreme Court. He was the younger brother of US Federal Judge Charles Taylor Sherman
, US Senator John Sherman
the distinguished Ohio statesman, and of Major General William T. Sherman of Civil War fame. Until eighteen years of age, Hoyt's time was divided between school and the printing office. In the spring of 1848 he came to Fort Des Moines, Iowa
, then far out on the western frontier. In 1849 he was admitted to the bar and began to practice law, and also engaged in real estate business. In March of that year he was appointed by President Zachary Taylor
postmaster of Des Moines
, holding that position until the inauguration of President Franklin Pierce
, when he resigned and was elected clerk of the District Court.
In 1854, he was the senior member of the banking house of Hoyt Sherman & Co., and upon the establishment of the State Bank of Iowa he became cashier of the Des Moines branch and was one of the directors on part of the State to supervise the system and guard the public interests. When the American Civil War
began Mr. Sherman was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln
paymaster in the Union army with the rank of major, holding the position for three years. He was one of the organizers of the Equitable Life Insurance Company of Iowa and for many years its general manager. That institution owes much of its stabililty and high standing to Major Sherman's reputation for integrity and skillful management.
In 1866, Major Sherman was a member of the House of the Eleventh General Assembly where he was chairman of the committee on railroads and a member of the committee of ways and means. In 1886, he was one of the founders of the Pioneer Lawmakers' Association and has always been one of its most influential members, serving as president and long a member of the executive committee. He has contributed valuable historical articles to the Annals of Iowa on "Early Banking in Iowa," and on the "State Bank of Iowa." For many years he was the chief executive officer of the Associated Charities of Des Moines.
His daughters by his marriage to Sara Elvira Moulton were Mary Hoyt Sherman, married to Nelson Appleton Miles, and Adaline Moulton Sherman, married to Frank Bestow Wiborg, the parents of Sara Sherman Wiborg.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
banker.
Biography
Hoyt Sherman was born in Lancaster, OhioLancaster, Ohio
Lancaster is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,780. It is located near the Hocking River, approximately southeast of Columbus, Ohio. It is the county seat of Fairfield County...
, the son of Charles R. Sherman, Judge of the Ohio Supreme Court. He was the younger brother of US Federal Judge Charles Taylor Sherman
Charles Taylor Sherman
Charles Taylor Sherman was a 19th-century Ohio lawyer and judge.-Early life:He was the eldest of eleven children born to Charles Robert Sherman and his wife, Mary Sherman. He was born in Norwalk, Connecticut...
, US Senator John Sherman
John Sherman (politician)
John Sherman, nicknamed "The Ohio Icicle" , was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Ohio during the Civil War and into the late nineteenth century. He served as both Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State and was the principal author of the Sherman Antitrust Act...
the distinguished Ohio statesman, and of Major General William T. Sherman of Civil War fame. Until eighteen years of age, Hoyt's time was divided between school and the printing office. In the spring of 1848 he came to Fort Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, then far out on the western frontier. In 1849 he was admitted to the bar and began to practice law, and also engaged in real estate business. In March of that year he was appointed by President Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
postmaster of Des Moines
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, holding that position until the inauguration of President Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
, when he resigned and was elected clerk of the District Court.
In 1854, he was the senior member of the banking house of Hoyt Sherman & Co., and upon the establishment of the State Bank of Iowa he became cashier of the Des Moines branch and was one of the directors on part of the State to supervise the system and guard the public interests. When the American 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...
began Mr. Sherman was appointed by 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...
paymaster in the Union army with the rank of major, holding the position for three years. He was one of the organizers of the Equitable Life Insurance Company of Iowa and for many years its general manager. That institution owes much of its stabililty and high standing to Major Sherman's reputation for integrity and skillful management.
In 1866, Major Sherman was a member of the House of the Eleventh General Assembly where he was chairman of the committee on railroads and a member of the committee of ways and means. In 1886, he was one of the founders of the Pioneer Lawmakers' Association and has always been one of its most influential members, serving as president and long a member of the executive committee. He has contributed valuable historical articles to the Annals of Iowa on "Early Banking in Iowa," and on the "State Bank of Iowa." For many years he was the chief executive officer of the Associated Charities of Des Moines.
His daughters by his marriage to Sara Elvira Moulton were Mary Hoyt Sherman, married to Nelson Appleton Miles, and Adaline Moulton Sherman, married to Frank Bestow Wiborg, the parents of Sara Sherman Wiborg.
Hoyt Sherman Place
In 1877 Hoyt Sherman built a grand manor; the structure is now a museum and performing arts center. The original house and gallery now display a collection of 19th and 20th century paintings, as well as elaborately carved 17th century furniture and other rare artifacts. The mansion, now known as Hoyt Sherman Place, lent its name to the surrounding Des Moines neighborhood of Sherman HillSherman Hill
The Sherman Hill Neighborhood Historic District is a historic neighborhood located in Des Moines, Iowa. The district encompasses and 210 buildings and is bounded by 15th Street, Woodland Avenue, Martin Luther King Parkway and School Street....
.
External links
- Hoyt Sherman's Place
- Sherman Genealogy Including Families of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk, England By Thomas Townsend Sherman
- Nelson Appleton Miles