John Purdue was a famous industrialist based in Lafayette, Indiana

Lafayette, Indiana

Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...

 and the primary original benefactor of Purdue University

Purdue University

Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...

.

Early life

Most details of John Purdue's early life were either not recorded or lost. His father was Charles Purdue and his mother was Mary Short Purdue. He had eight sisters and no brothers. Sometime after 1813 (possibly as late as 1823) the family moved to Ross County, Ohio

Ross County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 73,345 people, 27,136 households, and 19,185 families residing in the county. The population density was 106 people per square mile . There were 29,461 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile...

. During the move the second oldest daughter, Nancy died and shortly after the move the patriarch, Charles, died. Shortly thereafter John was apprenticed to an Adelphi

Adelphi, Ohio

Adelphi is a village in Ross County, Ohio, United States. The population was 371 at the 2000 census. The current Mayor of Adelphi is Josh Hettinger, a 1999 graduate of Zane Trace High School.-Geography:Adelphi is located at ....

 merchant and his mother and at least a few of his sisters moved north and settled near Westerville, Ohio

Westerville, Ohio

Westerville, once known as "The Dry Capital of the World", is a city in Franklin and Delaware counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 35,318 at the 2000 census.-Early history:...

.

Teacher

From 1823 to 1831 he was employed as a school teacher around Ohio and possibly in Michigan.

Business man

As stated in the 1979 Marion County History Book, on March 13, 1831 he bought a 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) farm in Salt Rock Township

Salt Rock Township, Marion County, Ohio

Salt Rock Township is one of the fifteen townships of Marion County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 699 people in the township, 311 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...

 in Marion County, Ohio

Marion County, Ohio

Marion County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 66,501. Its county seat is the city of Marion and is named for General Francis "The Swamp Fox" Marion, an officer in the Revolutionary War....

. He sold the same on August 20, 1832 at a profit. He derived additional gain from collecting a commission taking his neighbor's hogs to market.

Purdue developed a farm products brokerage that covered the Adelphi, Worthington and Columbus

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

 area. In 1833 he and Moses Fowler opened a general merchandise store in Adelphi. On December 9, 1834 Purdue purchased 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) of land in Indiana from Jesse Spencer for $850 which he partially paid for in store goods. The land that he bought currently lies northeast of the intersection of Creasy Lane and McCarty Lane in Lafayette, Indiana.

In 1838 or 1839 Purdue and his associate Fowler liquidated their Ohio holdings and permanently moved to Lafayette. Once there they opened a dry goods business on the courthouse square. Purdue continued to gain wealth and prestige over the next several years. Most accounts show a man devoted to leading a good civic life, donating time, money and expertise to various local projects including a bridge over the Wabash River, a railroad from Lafayette to Indianapolis

Indianapolis

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

 and serving on various boards.

In 1844 Moses Fowler and Purdue split ways. In 1847 a group of five merchants including Purdue completed a 600 feet (182.9 m) wooden toll bridge across the Wabash.

On October 20, 1852, Purdue along with four others was appointed as the first trustees of the new Lafayette City Public School. While various tax related lawsuits crippled the new statewide public school budget, Purdue and others privately helped keep them afloat.

By 1855 Purdue was spending a fair amount of time in New York doing business. In 1856 he became involved in what would come to be Purdue, Ward and Company.

In 1857 he bought stock in and served as a trustee of the Battle Ground Collegiate Institute (college prep classes.) He also donated $500 in cash to help another collegiate institute in the newly platted Stockwell, Indiana

Stockwell, Indiana

Stockwell, originally named Lauramie, is a small town in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. It was once a stop along the Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Lafayette Railroad, but the rail line has since been removed...

.

Purdue profited greatly during the 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...

 mainly due to the increase in demand for dry goods by the Union Army. Lafayette supported the Union in the war but some nighttime raids by Confederate sympathizers on local businesses was reported. To protect his assets, Purdue established the "Purdue Rifles" a volunteer protective force of about 100 trained, uniformed and armed men that guarded Confederate prisoners, rounded up deserters and maintained order.

Throughout the 1860s Purdue acquired large tracts of land in Warren

Warren County, Indiana

Warren County lies in western Indiana between the Illinois border and the Wabash River in the United States. Before the arrival of non-indigenous settlers in the early 19th century, the area was inhabited by several Native American tribes. The county was officially established in 1827 and...

 county. By 1872 he owned about 2020 acres (8.2 km²) which came to be known as the Walnut Grove Farm.

In 1867 Purdue invested money in and presided as president of the Lafayette Agricultural Works, a Lafayette implement factory, through the mid 1870's.

In 1868 he contributed money and served as the president (for seven years) of the new Springvale Cemetery in Lafayette.

In 1869 he helped found the Lafayette Savings Bank, following Salmon Portland Chase's office as Secretary of the Treasury. Purdue served as its president. Eventually, JP Morgan Chase & Co would purchase Purdue National Corporation of Lafayette, Indiana in 1984, a merger that would unite the names of these two individuals again. http://www.lafayettesavingsbank.com/a_whoweare.htm

Purdue was a freemason with Chase, and later supported some questionable business ventures including: backing the Lafayette, Muncie and Bloomington Railroad even as lawsuits and debts climbed. Purdue also backed a silver mining scheme in Colorado called the Purdue Gold and Silver Mining and Ore Reduction Company that failed to pay any dividends.

Politician

In 1864 Purdue lost a contentious primary battle to incumbent Godlove Stein Orth

Godlove Stein Orth

Godlove Stein Orth was a U.S. House representative from Indiana and acting-Lieutenant Governor of Indiana.-Biography:...

 for the nomination of the Union Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

's candidate for Congress.

In 1866 Purdue again challenged Orth but this time in the general election as an Independent. Despite buying the Lafayette Journal to counteract the Lafayette Courier (which supported Orth), Purdue was again defeated 14,933 to 14,728.

Purdue University

In 1862 the Morrill Act passed congress and the competition was on to find a location for a land grant college in Indiana. Bidding was fierce between Indiana University

Indiana University Bloomington

Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...

 in Bloomington, Northwestern Christian

Butler University

Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...

 in Indianapolis, and the Stockwell and Battle Ground Collegiate Institutes. After the death of influential Lafayette senator Albert S. White the Stockwell bid fell through. Years of wrangling failed to reach a compromise. In 1865 the state started the State Normal College (later Indiana State University

Indiana State University

Indiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...

) partly to relieve some of the pressure. In order to make Tippecanoe County stand out various locals stepped up with offers of land and money.

By 1869 Tippecanoe's bid was up to nearly $400,000 in cash, land and bonds but the legislature still stalled. At this point Purdue stepped forth with $100,000 of his personal wealth. His only conditions on the money was that the college be located in Battle Ground

Battle Ground, Indiana

Battle Ground is a town in Tippecanoe Township, Tippecanoe County in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,334 at the 2010 census. It is near the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe....

 and that his surname be associated with it. After some more negotiations (where the name of the university was chosen and Purdue was added to the board of trustees) Purdue's donations were raised to $150,000 and 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of land. The negotiations also allowed the new board of trustees to choose the site of the university.

Death

He died of an apparent stroke

Stroke

A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...

 on September 12, 1876, on the first day of classes of the third academic year at the university he helped found. Purdue's grave is located on the university's main campus. Never having married and having no heirs, Purdue's estate

Estate (law)

An estate is the net worth of a person at any point in time. It is the sum of a person's assets - legal rights, interests and entitlements to property of any kind - less all liabilities at that time. The issue is of special legal significance on a question of bankruptcy and death of the person...

was tied up in litigation for years after his death.

External links

• http://profile.myspace.com/johnpurdue_purdueuniversi
• http://web.mac.com/johnpurdue/iWeb/johnpurdue/Purdue.html

John Purdue online exhibit, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections http://www.lib.purdue.edu/spcol/johnpurdue/