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{{Use American English|date=September 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Short description|American entrepreneur and philanthropist (1807–1888)}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Hiram Sibley
| name = Hiram W. Sibley
| image =
| image = HiramSibley.jpg
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_name = Hiram W. Sibley
| birth_name = Hiram W. Sibley
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1807|02|06}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1807|02|06}}
| birth_place =
| birth_place = [[North Adams, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1888|07|12|1807|02|06}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1888|07|12|1807|02|06}}
| death_place =
| death_place = [[Rochester, New York]], U.S.
| nationality = American
| education =
| residence =
| alma mater =
⚫
| known for = Co-founder and President of [[Western Union]]
| education =
| children = 4, including [[Emily Sibley Watson]]
| alma mater =
⚫
| known for = Co-founder and President of [[Western Union]]
⚫
| children = Hiram Sibley Jr., President of [[Security Trust Company of Rochester]]
}}
}}


'''Hiram Sibley''' (February 6, 1807 – July 12, 1888), was an American [[industrialist]], [[entrepreneur]], and [[philanthropist]] who was a pioneer of the telegraph in the United States.
'''Hiram W. Sibley''' (February 6, 1807 – July 12, 1888), was an American [[industrialist]], [[entrepreneur]], and [[philanthropist]] who was a pioneer of the telegraph in the United States.


==Biography==
==Early life==
Sibley was born in [[North Adams, Massachusetts]], on February 6, 1807, and later resided in [[Rochester, New York]].<ref name="Hills1910">{{cite book |last1=Hills |first1=Frederick Simon |title=New York State Men : Biographic Studies and Character Portraits |date=1910 |publisher=Argus Company |page=196 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dH0_AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA196 |access-date=August 5, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> He was the second son of Benjamin Sibley (1768–1829) and Zilpha ([[née]] Davis) Sibley (1771–1824).<ref name="Scientific1886">{{cite book |title=Scientific American: Supplement |date=1886 |publisher=Munn and Company |page=8455 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TPA8AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA8455 |access-date=August 5, 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
Sibley was born in [[North Adams, Massachusetts]], and later resided in [[Rochester, New York]]. He became interested in the work of [[Samuel Morse]] involving the [[telegraph]].
[[Image:HiramSibley.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
In 1851, Sibley and others organized the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester. Sibley later served as first president of [[Western Union Telegraph Company]].


==Career==
⚫
In 1861, [[Jeptha Wade]], founder of Western Union, joined forces with [[Benjamin Franklin Ficklin]] and Hiram Sibley to form the [[Pacific Telegraph Company]]. With it, the final link between the east and west coast of the United States was made by telegraph. In conjunction with [[Perry Collins]], Sibley later hoped to build a telegraph line from [[Alaska]] to [[Russia]] through the [[Bering Strait]], the so-called [[Russian American Telegraph]]. However, this dream collapsed with the establishment of a cross-[[Atlantic]] line to Europe.
Too poor to receive more than a country education, Sibley started training as a shoemaker's apprentice, but, unhappy with the career, went to [[Lima, New York]], at age 17 to work in a cotton factory. The following year he became a [[wool]] [[Carding|carder]] in a shop where future president [[Millard Fillmore]] then worked.<ref name="HSObit1888"/> At age 21, he started a foundry and machine shop in [[Mendon, New York]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Ham|first=Diane C.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/57240862|title=Around Mendon and Honeoye Falls|publisher=Arcadia|others=Roberta Luce-Majewski|year=2004|isbn=0738536776|location=Charleston, SC|page=32|oclc=57240862}}</ref> Ten years later, the business was successful enough for him to sell and afford to move to Rochester, where he was elected [[Sheriff of Monroe County, New York|Sheriff of Monroe County]] from 1844 to 1846.<ref name="HSObit1888"/>


He became interested in the work of [[Samuel Morse]] involving the [[telegraph]]. In 1851, Sibley along with [[Ezra Cornell]] and others organized the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Business of the Telegraph |url=https://rmc.library.cornell.edu/Ezra-exhibit/EC-life/EC-life-6.html |website=Ezra Cornell: A nineteenth century life |publisher=Cornell University Library |access-date=November 11, 2020}}</ref> Sibley later served as first president of [[Western Union Telegraph Company]].<ref name="HSObit1888"/>
⚫
Sibley funded the Sibley College of [[Mechanical Engineering]] and Mechanic Arts, as well as the building which housed it, Sibley Hall, at [[Cornell University]] in [[Ithaca, New York]]. The program is now known as the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and is located in parts of Upson, Grumman, and Rhodes Halls. Sibley Hall is now a part of the [[Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning]].


⚫
In 1861, [[Jeptha Wade]], founder of Western Union, joined forces with [[Benjamin Franklin Ficklin]] and Hiram Sibley to form the [[Pacific Telegraph Company]]. With it, the final link between the eastern and western coasts of the United States was made by telegraph. In conjunction with [[Perry Collins]], Sibley later hoped to build a telegraph line from [[Alaska]] to [[Russia]] through the [[Bering Strait]], the so-called [[Russian American Telegraph]]. However, this dream collapsed with the establishment of a cross-[[Atlantic]] line to Europe.<ref name="HSObit1888"/>
==Death==
Sibley died in 1888 and was interred at [[Mount Hope Cemetery (Rochester)|Mount Hope Cemetery]] in Rochester.


==Personal life==
⚫
Sibley's home near Rochester, the [[Hiram Sibley Homestead]], was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1985. His Rochester home is included in the [[East Avenue Historic District]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>
Sibley was married to Elizabeth Maria Tinker (1815–1903), the daughter of Giles Tinker of Connecticut.<ref name="Biographical1902">{{cite book |title=The Biographical Record of the City of Rochester and Monroe County, New York |date=1902 |publisher=The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924081310637/page/11 11] |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924081310637 |access-date=August 5, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Together, they were the parents of:<ref name="HSObit1888"/>
* Zilpha Louise Sibley (1833–1868)
* Giles Benjamin Sibley (1841–1843), who died in infancy.
⚫
* Hiram Watson Sibley (1845–1932), president of [[Security Trust Company of Rochester]].
* [[Emily Sibley Watson|Emily Sibley]] (1855–1945), a founder of the [[Memorial Art Gallery]] of the University of Rochester.<ref name="eswa-obit">{{cite journal |title=Mrs. James S. Watson, Art Patron in Rochester |journal=New York Herald Tribune |date=February 9, 1945}}</ref>

After a five-day illness, Sibley died on July 12, 1888, and was interred at [[Mount Hope Cemetery (Rochester)|Mount Hope Cemetery]] in Rochester.<ref name="HSObit1888">{{cite news |title=Death at Ripe Old Age {{!}} Hiram Sibley is Gathered To His Fathers. The Millionaire Dies After A Brief Struggle{{snd}}His Life The Story of a Self-Made Man |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1888/07/13/100941183.pdf |access-date=August 5, 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 13, 1888}}</ref> At his death, his wealth was estimated between $8,000,000 and $10,000,000.<ref name="HSObit1888"/>

==Legacy==
{{Multiple image
| header = Sibley's Legacy
| align = right
| direction =
| total_width = 300
| perrow = 2/2
| image1= Sibley College Cornell between 1883 and 1894.jpg
| caption1 = Cornell's Sibley College ca 1880s
| image2= Hiram Sibley plaque at Sibley Hall, Cornell University.jpg
| caption2 = Plaque at Sibley Hall
| image3 = Hiram Sibley Building, Rochester, New York.jpg
| caption3= Hiram Sibley Building in Rochester
| image4 = Hiram Sibley House.jpg
| caption4 = Hiram Sibley House in Rochester
}}
In 1874 Sibley funded a library for the [[University of Rochester]].<ref name="structures">{{cite web |title=Hiram W. Sibley House, Rochester New York |url=http://www.historic-structures.com/ny/rochester/sibley_house.php |website=Historic Structures |access-date=February 9, 2020}}</ref> Completed in 1877, it was the second building of the Prince Street campus, and later became part of the [[Eastman School of Music]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Finn |first1=Kristina |title=Prince Street Campus |url=http://media.democratandchronicle.com/retrofitting-rochester/prince-street-campus |website=Retrofitting Rochester |publisher=Democrat and Chronicle |access-date=February 9, 2020}}</ref> The original Sibley Library building was sold in 1956 and torn down in 1968.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mag.oncell.com/en/buildings-of-the-prince-street-campus-104041.html |website=Buildings of the Prince Street Campus|title=Buildings of the Prince Street Campus |access-date=February 9, 2020 |quote=Sibley Library, opened 1876, donated by Hiram Sibley ... was sold in 1956 and torn down in 1968.}}</ref>

⚫
In 1876 Sibley founded and endowed the Sibley College of [[Mechanical Engineering]] and Mechanic Arts, as well as the building which housed it, Sibley Hall, at [[Cornell University]] in [[Ithaca, New York]].<ref name="structures" /> The program is now known as the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and is located in parts of Upson, Grumman and Rhodes Halls. Sibley Hall is now a part of the [[Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning]].

⚫
Sibley's home, the [[Hiram Sibley Homestead]], located in Mendon was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1985. The surrounding area of the homestead is known as the hamlet of Sibleyville, named in Sibley's honor.<ref name=":0" />

His home in Rochester is a part of the [[East Avenue Historic District]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>

The Hiram Sibley Building was built in 1925 at the corner of East Avenue and Alexander Street in Rochester, New York. It was named in his honor by his son Hiram Watson Sibley, and designed by [[Shepley Bulfinch|Shepley, Bulfinch and Abbott]] of Boston.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Finn |first1=Michelle |title=Hiram Sibley Building |url=http://media.democratandchronicle.com/retrofitting-rochester/hiram-sibley-building |access-date=February 9, 2020 |publisher=Democrat and Chronicle}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Telegraph in United States history]]
* [[Western Union]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Robert Luther Thompson. ''Wiring a Continent: The History of the Telegraph Industry in the United States, 1832-1866'' (Princeton U.P. 1947) [https://books.google.com/books/about/Wiring_a_Continent.html?id=t7o1AQAAIAAJ online]


==External links==
==External links==
* {{find a Grave|2823}}
* [http://www.vintageviews.org/vv-tl/Photos/pages/sibley_h.html Brief Sibley bio]
* [https://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9F0DE6DE1230E633A25750C1A9619C94699FD7CF&oref=slogin Hiram Sibley's death notice]


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:1807 births]]
[[Category:1807 births]]
[[Category:1888 deaths]]
[[Category:1888 deaths]]
[[Category:American communications businesspeople]]
[[Category:American telecommunications industry businesspeople]]
[[Category:American philanthropists]]
[[Category:Burials at Mount Hope Cemetery (Rochester)]]
[[Category:Burials at Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester]]
[[Category:Cornell University people]]
[[Category:Cornell University people]]
[[Category:People from North Adams, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:People from North Adams, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Telegraphy]]
[[Category:Western Union people]]
[[Category:Western Union]]
[[Category:19th-century American philanthropists]]
[[Category:19th-century American businesspeople]]

Latest revision as of 14:51, 20 September 2023

Hiram W. Sibley
Born
Hiram W. Sibley

(1807-02-06)February 6, 1807
North Adams, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJuly 12, 1888(1888-07-12) (aged 81)
Rochester, New York, U.S.
Known forCo-founder and President of Western Union
Children4, including Emily Sibley Watson

Hiram W. Sibley (February 6, 1807 – July 12, 1888), was an American industrialist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who was a pioneer of the telegraph in the United States.

Early life

[edit]

Sibley was born in North Adams, Massachusetts, on February 6, 1807, and later resided in Rochester, New York.[1] He was the second son of Benjamin Sibley (1768–1829) and Zilpha (née Davis) Sibley (1771–1824).[2]

Career

[edit]

Too poor to receive more than a country education, Sibley started training as a shoemaker's apprentice, but, unhappy with the career, went to Lima, New York, at age 17 to work in a cotton factory. The following year he became a wool carder in a shop where future president Millard Fillmore then worked.[3] At age 21, he started a foundry and machine shop in Mendon, New York.[4] Ten years later, the business was successful enough for him to sell and afford to move to Rochester, where he was elected Sheriff of Monroe County from 1844 to 1846.[3]

He became interested in the work of Samuel Morse involving the telegraph. In 1851, Sibley along with Ezra Cornell and others organized the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester.[5] Sibley later served as first president of Western Union Telegraph Company.[3]

In 1861, Jeptha Wade, founder of Western Union, joined forces with Benjamin Franklin Ficklin and Hiram Sibley to form the Pacific Telegraph Company. With it, the final link between the eastern and western coasts of the United States was made by telegraph. In conjunction with Perry Collins, Sibley later hoped to build a telegraph line from Alaska to Russia through the Bering Strait, the so-called Russian American Telegraph. However, this dream collapsed with the establishment of a cross-Atlantic line to Europe.[3]

Personal life

[edit]

Sibley was married to Elizabeth Maria Tinker (1815–1903), the daughter of Giles Tinker of Connecticut.[6] Together, they were the parents of:[3]

After a five-day illness, Sibley died on July 12, 1888, and was interred at Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester.[3] At his death, his wealth was estimated between $8,000,000 and $10,000,000.[3]

Legacy

[edit]
Sibley's Legacy
Cornell's Sibley College ca 1880s
Plaque at Sibley Hall
Hiram Sibley Building in Rochester
Hiram Sibley House in Rochester

In 1874 Sibley funded a library for the University of Rochester.[8] Completed in 1877, it was the second building of the Prince Street campus, and later became part of the Eastman School of Music.[9] The original Sibley Library building was sold in 1956 and torn down in 1968.[10]

In 1876 Sibley founded and endowed the Sibley College of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanic Arts, as well as the building which housed it, Sibley Hall, at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.[8] The program is now known as the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and is located in parts of Upson, Grumman and Rhodes Halls. Sibley Hall is now a part of the Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning.

Sibley's home, the Hiram Sibley Homestead, located in Mendon was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The surrounding area of the homestead is known as the hamlet of Sibleyville, named in Sibley's honor.[4]

His home in Rochester is a part of the East Avenue Historic District.[11]

The Hiram Sibley Building was built in 1925 at the corner of East Avenue and Alexander Street in Rochester, New York. It was named in his honor by his son Hiram Watson Sibley, and designed by Shepley, Bulfinch and Abbott of Boston.[12]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Hills, Frederick Simon (1910). New York State Men : Biographic Studies and Character Portraits. Argus Company. p. 196. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  2. ^ Scientific American: Supplement. Munn and Company. 1886. p. 8455. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Death at Ripe Old Age | Hiram Sibley is Gathered To His Fathers. The Millionaire Dies After A Brief Struggle – His Life The Story of a Self-Made Man" (PDF). The New York Times. July 13, 1888. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Ham, Diane C. (2004). Around Mendon and Honeoye Falls. Roberta Luce-Majewski. Charleston, SC: Arcadia. p. 32. ISBN 0738536776. OCLC 57240862.
  5. ^ "The Business of the Telegraph". Ezra Cornell: A nineteenth century life. Cornell University Library. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  6. ^ The Biographical Record of the City of Rochester and Monroe County, New York. New York: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. 1902. p. 11. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  7. ^ "Mrs. James S. Watson, Art Patron in Rochester". New York Herald Tribune. February 9, 1945.
  8. ^ a b "Hiram W. Sibley House, Rochester New York". Historic Structures. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  9. ^ Finn, Kristina. "Prince Street Campus". Retrofitting Rochester. Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  10. ^ "Buildings of the Prince Street Campus". Buildings of the Prince Street Campus. Retrieved February 9, 2020. Sibley Library, opened 1876, donated by Hiram Sibley ... was sold in 1956 and torn down in 1968.
  11. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  12. ^ Finn, Michelle. "Hiram Sibley Building". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved February 9, 2020.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Robert Luther Thompson. Wiring a Continent: The History of the Telegraph Industry in the United States, 1832-1866 (Princeton U.P. 1947) online
[edit]
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