German Horton Hunt
Portrait by Louis P. Dieterich
Born(1828-12-27)December 27, 1828
Baltimore, Maryland
DiedJune 16, 1907(1907-06-16) (aged 78)
Chattolanee, Baltimore County, Maryland
Resting placeGreen Mount Cemetery, Baltimore
Occupation(s)Industrialist, Banker
Known forPoole & Hunt
Political partyWhig until 1856, Democratic thereafter
Spouse(s)
Elizabeth E. Meddinger
(died 1854)
,
Maria Louisa Hiser
(m. 1856; died 1892)

German Horton Hunt (December 12, 1828 - June 16, 1907) was an American industrialist and businessman. Hunt was principally associated with his industrial partnership with Robert Poole in Baltimore, Maryland, Poole & Hunt, where he was a partner from 1851 to 1889.[1]

Hunt also held founding or major positions with several other nineteenth-century Baltimore firms, served as president of both the Maryland Institute and the McDonogh School, and served on the city's parks and trade boards.[2][3]

Early Life

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German Hunt was born December 27th, 1828 in Baltimore, Maryland to Germyn Hunt and Eleanor Horton. His parents had emigrated from Derby, England about 1820. Educated in private schools, Hunt entered the machine shop of Watchman & Bratt as an apprentice at age 16 in 1844.[4][1]

Career

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In 1847, Hunt entered the firm of Poole & Ferguson, then located on North Street, in an executive position. Four years later, at the retirement of William Ferguson, Hunt became a partner in the company, which was renamed Poole & Hunt.[1] The North Street works were destroyed by fire in 1853, after which the company moved its main facilities outside the (then) city limits to Woodberry in Baltimore County.[5]

04/1855 Secretary of the Maryland Institute[6] also trustee[7]

Purpose of trade board as to promote commercial and industrial interests in the city.[8] Hunt director of trade board[9]

Board of directors of Washington Fire Insurance Company of Baltimore[10]

Trustee of McDonogh School[11] President[7]

director of several important banks[7] An organizer and first President (until 1892) of the Baltimore Trust and Guarantee Company[12]

founding member of Merchants and Manufacturers Association of Maryland[7][13]

member of Masonic Fraternity[7]

member of Methodist Episcopal Church[7]

member of Maryland Historical Society[14]

Politics

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Whig until 1856, Democratic thereafter[7]

Death

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Died of paralysis at his cottage at Chattolanee in the Green Spring Valley on June 16th, 1907, after several hours of illness.[7]

Hunt's funeral on June 19th was lead from his city residence, 1802 Eutaw Place, to Green Mount Cemetery.[15] The service was lead by Rev. J. St. Clair of Madison Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church and Rev. Hobart Smith of St. Thomas Protestant Episcopal Church.[13]

One-fifth of Hunt's fortune was bequeathed to the McDonogh School, which occurred in 1928, on the death of his daughters.[16]

Family

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Hunt first married Elizabeth E Meddinger, who died in 1854. This marriage yielded two children - Laura & Eleanor.[3] Hunt remarried in 1856, this time to Maria Louisa Hiser.[17] Prior to marriage, Hiser ran a seminary for young women from her home.[18] Afterwards she served as both vice-president and secretary of the Nursery and Child's Hospital of Baltimore City.[19] This second marriage produced one son, Horton, who died in childhood.[20] Maria Louisa Hunt died of heart disease in 1892.[21] She left an estate in her own name worth $5778 (equivalent to $188,941 in 2023).[22]

Eleanor L. Hunt married William H. Emory in January 1878.[23] Laura Hunt lived with her father until his death.[3]

In 1889, Hunt built a 3 1/2-story white marble mansion at 1802 Eutaw Place, designed by Charles L. Carson, which would remain his primary residence until his death.[24][25] Members of Hunt's family, including grandchildren, resided with him there during his life.[21][26] In 1910, the mansion, which contained a passenger elevator, was purchased for $30,000 by Johns Hopkins University professor and economist Jacob Hollander, who lived there until his own death.[27][28] The building was subdivided into apartments in 1942, before being converted into a nursing home in 1953.[29][30]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Hall 1912, p. 234.
  2. ^ "German Horton Hunt (1828-1907)". Find A Grave. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
  3. ^ a b c "Mr. German H. Hunt Dead". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1907-06-17. p. 14. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  4. ^ Steiner et al. 1907, p. 219.
  5. ^ Scharf 1881, p. 838.
  6. ^ "The Maryland Institute". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1855-04-19. p. 1. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Steiner et al. 1907, p. 220.
  8. ^ Scharf 1881, p. 441.
  9. ^ Scharf 1881, p. 442.
  10. ^ Scharf 1881, p. 488-489.
  11. ^ Scharf 1881, p. 820.
  12. ^ Dunnington, E.G. (1907-06-19). "At a Special Meeting of the Board". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  13. ^ a b "Mr. G. H. Hunt's Funeral". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1907-06-18. p. 9. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  14. ^ Browne, William Hand; Dielman, Louis Henry (1907). Maryland Historical Magazine. Maryland Historical Society. p. 89.
  15. ^ "Mr. G. H. Hunt Buried". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1907-06-20. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  16. ^ Ordinances and resolutions of the mayor and City Council of Baltimore. Baltimore: King Bros., Inc. City Printers. 1928. p. 561-562. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  17. ^ "Married". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1856-12-17. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
  18. ^ "Seminary for Young Ladies". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1856-09-03. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  19. ^ "In Memoriam". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1892-11-28. p. 1. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  20. ^ "Died". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1873-01-17. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  21. ^ a b "Mrs. Maria Louisa Hunt". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1892-11-15. p. 8. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  22. ^ "Orphans' Court - Judges Block, Gaither and Dunn". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1907-07-25. p. 8. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  23. ^ "Married". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1878-01-24. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  24. ^ Alexander 2004, p. 217.
  25. ^ "Rooming House or Apt. House". The Evening Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1951-09-20. p. 55. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  26. ^ "Miss Hunt's Luncheon". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1906-11-17. p. 4. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  27. ^ "Dr. Hollander, Authority on Finance, Dies". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1940-07-10. p. 24. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  28. ^ "Big Ground Rents Sold". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1910-05-14. p. 4. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  29. ^ "Real Estate Building News". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1942-06-07. p. 43. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  30. ^ "Park Hill Convalescent Home". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 1953-01-03. p. 22. Retrieved 2019-08-06.

References

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  • Alexander, Robert L. (2004). The Architecture of Baltimore: An Illustrated History. JHU Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-7806-0.
  • Hall, Clayton Colman (1912). Baltimore: Biography. Lewis Historical Publishing Company.
  • Scharf, John Thomas (1881). History of Baltimore City and County, from the Earliest Period to the Present Day: Including Biographical Sketches of Their Representative Men. L.H. Everts.
  • Steiner, Bernard Christian; Meekins, Lynn Roby; Carroll, D. H. (David Henry); Boggs, Thomas G. (1907). Men of mark in Maryland ... biographies of leading men of the state ... Illustrated with many full page engravings. Vol. 1. Baltimore, Washington [etc.] B.F. Johnson, Inc. Retrieved 2019-08-06.