John R. Wilder
John Randolph Wilder | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 18, 1816 Leicester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | November 1, 1879 (aged 63) Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | businessman |
John Randolph Wilder (March 18, 1816 – November 1, 1879) was an American businessman based in Savannah, Georgia, where he was a prominent civic leader, cotton merchant and planter.[1] His shipping and cotton exporting houses were regarded as some of the leading businesses in Savannah.[2] He was also a slave-owner.[3]
Life and career
[edit]A descendent of Captain Thomas Wilder, who served in King William's War, Wilder was born in 1816 in Leicester, Massachusetts, to John Wilder and Lucinda A. Washburn.[4]
He married Anna Drucilla Lewis in 1840.[2]
After moving to Savannah, Georgia, Wilder went into the cotton business with his only child, son Joseph John, who was born on January 5, 1844.[1] Joseph continued the business after his father's death; it was known for a period as Wilder & Fullerton, then J. J. Wilder & Co.[5]
In 1868, Wilder and his family purchased what is now known as Mercer House, in Savannah's Monterey Square, from General Hugh W. Mercer, great-grandfather of Savannahian songwriter Johnny Mercer.[6][1]
He became consul of the Russian government in Savannah, a role which his son later inherited.[2]
Wilder studied in Germany during much of the American Civil War of 1861–1865.[1]
The Wilder family owned around 325 acres (132 ha) of land in the Oakton district of Marietta, Georgia, where they summered up until the outbreak of the Civil War.
Death
[edit]Wilder died in Marietta in 1879, aged 63.[2] He was interred in Savannah's Laurel Grove Cemetery, alongside his wife, who preceded him in death by two years.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "King and Wilder families papers". ghs.galileo.usg.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
- ^ a b c d e Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons Arranged in Cyclopedic Form ... State Historical Association. 1903. p. 581.
- ^ Catron, Staci L. (2018). Seeking Eden: A Collection of Georgia's Historic Gardens. University of Georgia Press. p. 225. ISBN 9780820353005.
- ^ Davis, George Lucien (1884). Samuel Davis, of Oxford, Mass., and Joseph Davis, of Dudley, Mass., and Their Descendants. George L. Davis. p. 185.
- ^ The Atlanta Constitution, September 11, 1900
- ^ "Mercer House, Savannah. The Collection of the Late James A. Williams. Contents to be Sold by Sotheby's New York on October 20" Archived 2020-03-17 at the Wayback Machine – Sothebys