Chester W. Chapin

{{Short description|American politician, railroad executive (1798–1883)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Chester William Chapin | honorific_suffix = | image = CWChapin.jpg | alt = | state1 = [[Massachusetts]] | district1 = {{ushr|MA|11|11th}} | term_start1 = March 4, 1875 | term_end1 = March 3, 1877 | predecessor1 = [[Henry L. Dawes]] | successor1 = [[George D. Robinson]] | birth_date = {{birth date|1798|12|16}} | birth_place = [[Ludlow, Massachusetts]] | death_date = {{death date and age|1883|6|10|1798|12|16}} | death_place = [[Springfield, Massachusetts]] | spouse = | party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = Businessman | profession = | signature = Signature of Chester William Chapin (1798–1883).png | signature_alt = | website = | footnotes = }}

'''Chester William Chapin''' (December 16, 1798 – June 10, 1883) was an American businessman, president of the [[Boston and Albany Railroad]] from 1868 to 1878, and [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Congressman]] from [[Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Chester W. Chapin|date=June 11, 1883|pages=4–5|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.}}</ref> He was a multimillionaire at his death in 1883, and controlled one of New England’s most important rail lines.<ref>[http://sites.nd.edu/erikadoss/files/2018/05/Doss-The-Puritan-Winterthur-Portfolio-2012.pdf Winterthur Portfolio, Vol. 46, No. 4 (Winter 2012), p. 240]</ref><ref name="books.google.com">[https://books.google.com/books?id=fv12CQAAQBAJ&dq=%22Chester+W.+Chapin%22+million+death&pg=PT15 Remembering the Sullivan County Catskills, John Conway]</ref>

==Early days== Chester W. Chapin was born in [[Ludlow, Massachusetts]], to Ephriam and Mary Smith Chapin,<ref>Noon, pp. xiv – xvii.</ref> the youngest of seven children,<ref name="ChapinGW219">Chapin, Gilbert Warren, p. 219.</ref> and six generations removed from Puritan forebearer, [[Deacon Samuel Chapin]].

The family moved to Chicopee and in 1806 his father died, leaving Chester and his brothers to work their farm. He attended common schools and [[Westfield State University|Westfield Academy]], [[Westfield, Massachusetts]]. One of his first paying jobs was when local cotton mills were being built, when he earned $1.50 a day.

==Career== Chapin quickly went into business for himself, opening a store, and in 1822 was appointed town tax collector, for which he received $80.<ref>Chapin, Charles Wells, p. 100.</ref>

Around 1826 he bought an interest in the stage line from [[Hartford, Connecticut]], to [[Brattleboro, Vermont]], and soon held extensive mail and stage contracts. In 1831, when steamboats began to run on the river between Hartford and [[Springfield, Massachusetts]], he bought an interest, soon became sole proprietor, and for about 15 years controlled all the passenger traffic on that route.

He also became a large or principal owner of the steamship lines between [[New York City]], Hartford, and [[New Haven, Connecticut]]. He later extended his interests into railroads and banking, becoming founder, principal, or president of many companies, including the [[Western Railroad (Massachusetts)|Western Railroad]], the Agawam (National) Bank, and the [[Connecticut River Railroad]]. He was one of the earliest advocates of a bridge over the [[Hudson River]] at [[Albany, New York]].<ref>Chapin, Charles Wells, pp. 100-101.</ref> He served as president and a director of the Western Railroad Corporation from 1854 to 1867, president of the [[Boston and Albany Railroad]] from 1868 to 1878, and a director until 1880.

===As Congressman=== Before his time in Congress, Chapin served as a delegate of the [[Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853]] and, as a [[War Democrat]], purchased the uniforms of the [[10th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry]] at the outset of the [[American Civil War]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Chester W. Chapin|date=June 11, 1883|page=5|work=Springfield Republican|location=Springfield, Mass.|quote=He was a working member of the constitutional convention of 1853, held sundry town and city offices, and good-naturedly consented to run for Congress several times when there was no possible chance for one of his part to be elected. He was a war democrat, and largely paid for the uniforms of the City guard when that organization joined the 10th regiment.}}</ref> Chapin was elected as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] to the [[44th United States Congress|Forty-fourth Congress]] (March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877), and served on the Committee of Ways And Means.<ref>Chapin, Charles Wells, p. 102.</ref> He ran unsuccessfully for reelection in 1876.

==Personal life== Chapin married his first cousin Dorcas [Chapin] on June 1, 1825; they had four children: Abel Dexter, Margaret, Anna, and Chester W.<ref name="ChapinGW219" />

He died a multimillionaire in Springfield on June 10, 1883, and was interred in [[Springfield Cemetery (Springfield, Massachusetts)|Springfield Cemetery]].<ref name="books.google.com"/> His son Chester (Abel died in 1878) inherited his estate, despite being himself already a millionaire, and he acquired various homes including a 20,000 acres estate in the [[Catskills Mountains]] in New York State, about 100 miles from Manhattan.<ref name="books.google.com"/> He died in 1922, leaving an estate of about 5 million dollars.<ref name="books.google.com"/><ref>[https://www.chapinestate.com/chapin-estates-history/ The Chapin Estate, Sotheby's International Realty]</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/realestate/hudson-valley-homes-upstate-new-york.html New Hudson Valley Homes for a New Kind of Buyer, The New York Times, 2017]</ref>

===Family=== Chapin’s great-uncles, Harvey Dexter Chapin and Abijah White Chapin, married Louisa D. Wilcox and Sarah M. Wilcox, cousins of manufacturer [[Burrage Yale]], and members of the [[Yale (surname)|Yale family]].<ref>Chapin, Orange (1862). [https://archive.org/details/chapingenealogyc1862chap/page/66/mode/2up?q=dexter+harvey+chester The Chapin genealogy : containing a very large proportion of the descendants of Dea. Samuel Chapin, who settled in Springfield, Mass. in 1642], Northampton Mass. : Printed by Metcalf & Co, Boston Public Library, p. 66-122</ref><ref name="Rodney Horace Yale 1908 204–298–299">{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/yalegenealogyhis00yale/page/298/mode/2up?view=theater|author=Rodney Horace Yale|title=Yale genealogy and history of Wales. The British kings and princes. Life of Owen Glyndwr. Biographies of Governor Elihu Yale|date=1908|publisher=Milburn and Scott company|website=Archive.org|pages=204–298–299|language=en}}</ref> Lucy's husband, Eli Wilcox, was [[Justice of the Peace]] and Board director the State bank of Connecticut, and her brother, Dr. Leroy Milton Yale Sr. was a [[Harvard]] graduate, fishing ships owner, and father of Dr. [[Leroy Milton Yale Jr.]]<ref>The Connecticut annual register, and United States' calendar, embracing the political year, 1839, p. 48-137</ref> Chester was also the great-granduncle of Sarah Yale Chapin, daughter of Abijah W., and granddaughter of Col. Harvey.<ref name="Rodney Horace Yale 1908 204–298–299"/><ref>Chapin, Orange (1862). [https://archive.org/details/chapingenealogyc1862chap/page/164/mode/2up?q=yale The Chapin genealogy : containing a very large proportion of the descendants of Dea. Samuel Chapin, who settled in Springfield, Mass. in 1642], Northampton Mass. : Printed by Metcalf & Co, Boston Public Library, p. 165</ref>

[[File:Samuel Chapin Statue, aka, The Puritan.jpg|thumb|200px|The Statue of [[Deacon Samuel Chapin]], known as ''[[The Puritan (Springfield, Massachusetts)|The Puritan]]'', in Springfield, Massachusetts.]]

In 1881, Chapin commissioned sculptor [[Augustus Saint-Gaudens]] to produce a sculpture of his forefather, Deacon Samuel Chapin; the end result, ''[[The Puritan (Springfield, Massachusetts)|The Puritan]]'', was not released until 1887, four years after Chester Chapin's death.<ref>Dryfhout, John H. ''The Work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens'' University Press of New England, 1982. Lebanon NH. p.162</ref>

==Legacy== The [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad|New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company]] / [[New England Steamship company]] ([[Providence Line]]) passenger steamer ''Chester W. Chapin'' of 1899 (served until 1923) was named after him.

==See also== *''[[Yampa (ship 1887)|Yampa]]'' *[[List of railroad executives]]

==Footnotes== {{Reflist}}

==References== {{Refbegin}} * Chapin, Charles Wells. "Sketches of the Old Inhabitants and Other Citizens of Old Springfield of the Present Century, and its Historic Mansions of 'Ye Olden Tyme,' with One Hundred and Twenty-Four Illustrations and Sixty Autographs" Press of Springfield Printing and Binding Company, 1893. Springfield MA. * Chapin, Gilbert Warren. "The Chapin Book of Genealogical Data with Brief Biographical Sketches of the Descendants of Deacon Samuel Chapin; Vol. I: First Seven Generations and Vol. II: Eighth to Twelfth Generation". Chapin Family Association, 1924. Hartford, CT. * Noon, Alfred. "Ludlow: A Century and a Centennial, Comprising a Sketch of the History of the Town of Ludlow, Hampden County, Massachusetts, Together with an Account of the Celebration by the Town of Its Centennial Anniversary, June 17, 1875. C. W. Bryan and Co., 1875. {{Refend}}

==External links== {{CongBio|C000305}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-hs}} {{succession box |title=[[United States House of Representatives, Massachusetts District 11|Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts district 11]] |before=[[Henry L. Dawes]] |after=[[George D. Robinson]] |years=March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapin, Chester William}} [[Category:1798 births]] [[Category:1883 deaths]] [[Category:19th-century American business executives in rail transportation]] [[Category:Boston and Albany Railroad]] [[Category:Democratic Party United States representatives from Massachusetts]] [[Category:Yale family]] [[Category:People from Ludlow, Massachusetts]] [[Category:19th-century United States representatives]]