Augustus Frederick Shapleigh (1810–1902) was an American businessman and early pioneer of St. Louis during the Second Industrial Revolution.[4] He was president of the A. F. Shapleigh Hardware Company, which by the 1880s grew to be one of the largest wholesale hardware firms west of the Mississippi River.[4] He was also involved in a number of other business endeavors in the banking, mining, and insurance industry.
Augustus Frederick Shapleigh | |
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| Born | January 9, 1810 |
| Died | February 27, 1902 (aged 92) |
| Occupation | President of the A. F. Shapleigh Hardware Company |
| Years active | 1843–1901[3] |
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Life
editShapleigh was the son of Captain Richard Waldron Shapleigh and Dorothea Blaisdell Shapleigh.[5] His father was captain of the Granville.[5] In 1813, at the age of 37, Captain Richard Shapleigh died at sea with his ship, which was wrecked off Rye Beach, New York.[5]
In 1843, Shapleigh founded one of the first hardware stores in St. Louis on behalf of Rogers, Field & Company.[4] The following year the company was renamed Rogers, Shapleigh & Company.[4] The original store was a four-story building at 412-422 Main Street.[6] The site was chosen for its proximity to the Mississippi River, which was the main source of transportation for goods at the time.[6]
Aside from his connection with the hardware industry, Shapleigh was associated with various other business concerns all of which constitute elements in the development of St. Louis.[5] In 1859, he became identified with the State Bank of St. Louis and in 1862 was elected a director of the Merchant's National Bank, so continuing until 1890, when he resigned in favor of his son Alfred.[5] He was also president of the Phoenix Insurance Company, vice president of the Covenant Mutual Life Insurance Company.[5] He was also invested in the Hope Mining Company and the Granite Mountain Mining Company.[5] Shapleigh also served as a board director of the Hope Mining Company.[7]
Shapleigh died of natural causes at the age of 92.[4] He had been in failing health for many years, but retained his mental faculties.[4] He is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.[4]
See also
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References
edit- ^ Stevens, Walter Barlow (1911). St. Louis, the Fourth City, 1764-1911. St. Louis: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 1. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- ^ White, James Terry (1894). The National Cyclopedia of American Biography. New York: James T. White & Company. p. 376. Archived from the original on October 28, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- ^ "Has Capital of $1,000,000: Norvell-Shapleigh Files Incorporation Papers". St. Louis Republic. St. Louis. June 30, 1901. p. 10. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g The Iron Age. Pennsylvania: Chilton Company. 1902. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g Stevens, Walter Barlow (1911). St. Louis, the Fourth City, 1764-1911. St. Louis: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 3. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- ^ a b Henry, Virginia Anne (1947). The Sequent Occupance of Mill Creek Valley. St. Louis: Washington University in St. Louis. p. 49.
- ^ "Mining Notes". The New North-west. Deer Lodge, MT. February 14, 1890. p. 3. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
