Hoyt Sherman
Sherman, 1903
Member of the Iowa House of Representatives
from the Polk County district
In office
1866–1866
Serving with George Lute Godfrey
Preceded byNicholas Baylies
Succeeded byJohn A. Kasson and Joshua H. Hatch
Personal details
Born(1827-11-21)November 21, 1827
Lancaster, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJanuary 25, 1904(1904-01-25) (aged 76)
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Spouse
Sarah Elvira Moulton
​
​
(m. 1855; died 1887)​
RelationsWilliam T. Sherman (brother)
Charles Taylor Sherman (brother)
John Sherman (brother)
Sara Sherman Wiborg (granddaughter)
Mary Hoyt Wiborg (granddaughter)
Parent

Hoyt Sherman (November 21, 1827 – January 25, 1904),[1] a member of the prominent Sherman family, was an American banker. He served as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives in 1866.

Early life

Hoyt Sherman was born in 1827 in Lancaster, Ohio. He was the youngest of eleven children born to Mary (née Hoyt) Sherman (1787–1852) and Charles R. Sherman, a lawyer who was a justice on the Ohio Supreme Court,[2] who died unexpectedly of typhoid fever in 1829.[3][4] Among his siblings were U.S. Federal Judge Charles Taylor Sherman, U.S. Senator John Sherman, and Major General William T. Sherman.

Until eighteen years of age, Hoyt's time was divided between school and the printing office as he apprenticed under his brothers Charles and John in Mansfield, Ohio. In the spring of 1848 he came to Fort Des Moines, Iowa, then far out on the western frontier.

Career

Sherman, c. 1860

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. President Abraham Lincoln appointed him the Army Paymaster at the start of the Civil War, with the rank of Major.

Upon his return, Hoyt teamed up with others and created Equitable of Iowa Insurance Company. During this time, he also gave his counsel, his time, and his money to ensure Des Moines had schools, including a college, a waterworks system, and many more facilities.[5]

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 stability 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.[6][7] In 1886, he was one of the founders of the Pioneer Lawmakers' Association and was one of its most influential members, serving as president and long a member of the executive committee. He 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.

Personal life

On December 25, 1855, Sherman was married to Sarah Elvira Moulton (1837–1887), a daughter of Daniel Alonzo Moulton and Adaline (née Wallace) Moulton.[8] Together, they were the parents of:[8]

Sherman died on January 25, 1904, in Des Moines, Iowa.[13]

Descendants

Through his daughter Adeline, he was a grandfather of arts patron Sara Sherman Wiborg,[14] playwright Mary Hoyt Wiborg,[15] and Olga (née Wiborg) Fish (wife of Sidney Webster Fish, a son of Stuyvesant Fish).[16][17]

Hoyt Sherman Place

In 1877 Sherman built a grand manor; the structure is now a museum and performing arts center.[18] 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 Hill. For many years Hoyt Sherman Place has served as the headquarters for Des Moines Women's Club. The house and theater are now under the management of the Hoyt Sherman Place Foundation.

References

  1. ^ "THE DAY'S DEAD". San Francisco Call. 26 January 1904. Page 2, column 4. Retrieved 22 December 2021 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  2. ^ Marszalek 2007, p. 4.
  3. ^ Holden-Reid 2020, p. 21.
  4. ^ Gue, Benjamin F. (1903). Iowa biography. Century History Company. pp. 243–244.
  5. ^ "Hoyt Sherman". Project Des Moines. Des Moines Public Library. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  6. ^ History of Iowa. Vol. 3. The Century History Company. 1903. p. 479. Retrieved 2023-10-02 – via Archive.org.Open access icon
  7. ^ The Iowa Legislature-Representative Hoyt Sherman
  8. ^ a b c d Moulton, Henry William (1906). Moulton Annals. Edward A. Claypool. p. 97. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Mrs. Adeline Sherman Wiborg". The New York Times. 4 January 1917. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  10. ^ Stratton, Bertha Mary Ludwig (1969). Transatlantic Shermans. B.L. Stratton. p. 164. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  11. ^ Southwest Blue Book. G.B. Duthie. 1940. p. 282. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  12. ^ Virkus, Frederick Adams; Marquis, Albert Nelson (1930). The Abridged Compendium of American Genealogy: First Families of America. A.N. Marquis. p. 228. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  13. ^ "HOYT SHERMAN DEAD.; Brother of the Late Gen W.T. and John Sherman Dies at Des Moines". The New York Times. 26 January 1904. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  14. ^ Whitman, Alden (11 October 1975). "Sara Murphy, Patron of Writers And Artists in France, 91, Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  15. ^ "MARY HOYT WIBORG, AIDED FRENCH IN WAR". The New York Times. 28 March 1964. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  16. ^ "MISS WlBORG, BRIDE OF SIDNEY W. FISH; Youngest Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. F. B. Wiborg Married in St. Luke's, East Hampton. HER SISTERS ATTENDANTS A Simple Ceremony Owing to Recent Death of Bridegroom's Mother Honeymoon on Vanderbilt Yacht". The New York Times. 19 September 1915. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  17. ^ TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (19 April 1937). "MRS. SIDNEY FISH, A SOCIETY WOMAN; Member of the East Hampton Summer Colony Dies at Her California Home". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  18. ^ "History". Hoyt Sherman Place. Archived from the original on 2012-11-22. Retrieved 2013-02-01.

Sources

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