Marshall Field's by Gayle Soucek

Author:Gayle Soucek [Soucek, Gayle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Industries, Chicago (Ill.) - Economic Conditions, Merchants, Biography, Merchants - Illinois - Chicago, Chicago, Corporate & Business History, Marshall Field's (Department Store) - History, Retail Trade, Chicago (Ill.), Field; Marshall, Retailing, General, Economic Conditions, Retail Trade - Illinois - Chicago - History, Biography & Autobiography, Illinois, United States, Marshall Field’s, Business & Economics, History
ISBN: 9781596298545
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2010-09-10T04:00:00+00:00

Marshall Field’s residence on Prairie Street was in a wealthy district that is now part of the National Register of Historic Places and a Chicago landmark.

One of the other bright spots in the aging man’s life was his friendship with Arthur Caton, a wealthy lawyer and avid sportsman, and his wife, Delia. Field spent a great deal of time with the couple, enjoying their hospitality and companionship. In early 1905, Arthur Caton died. That summer, Field invited the young and lively Delia to accompany him on a trip to England. To the surprise of those back home, Marshall and Delia wed on September 5 in St. Margaret’s Church in London. The marriage seemingly revitalized Field, and the happy couple returned to Chicago and its lively social scene. They attended operas and horse shows, often with Marshall III in tow.

By now, Field’s wealth was estimated at over $120 million, and his philanthropy was becoming more obvious. He had always been generous, if cautious, with his wealth. It was common for Field to loan money to new businessmen or join a worthy cause. Now, however, he was truly making a difference in the city he loved. He was a major sponsor of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and later (somewhat begrudgingly) gave $1 million to keep open the Columbian Museum in Jackson Park, one of the few permanent structures from the fair. It was renamed the Field Museum of Natural History in his honor, and he left an additional $8 million endowment to his namesake in his will. Field Museum remained in Jackson Park until 1921, when it was relocated to the museum campus along the lakefront near downtown, where it stands to this day.

Along with John Rockefeller, Field was also a prime benefactor of the University of Chicago, donating 10 acres of land and substantial cash to help get the fledgling school on its feet. The school’s football field was known as Marshall Field for many years, until it was later renamed Stagg Field after coach Amos Alonzo Stagg, the first tenured football coach in America.

His philanthropy wasn’t limited to Chicago, his adopted city; he also created a wonderful library in Conway, his birth town in Massachusetts. He served as a trustee at the First Presbyterian Church and donated generously to that and several other churches of various denominations. It’s estimated that in just the last decade of the nineteenth century, Field gave over $3 million to various charities. Of course, that figure just includes notable donations and not the smaller gifts he handed out routinely to smaller causes.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.