| Francis Furman | |
| Birth Date: | 1816 |
| Death Date: | 1899 |
| Resting Place: | Mount Olivet Cemetery |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Businessman |
| Spouse: | Mary J. Gilliam |
| Children: | Charles Furman William G. Furman |
Francis Furman (1816 - 1899) was an American businessman in Nashville, Tennessee.
Francis Furman was born in 1816.[1]
Furman was a successful dry goods merchant in Nashville, Tennessee.[2] In 1850, he was a partner in a dry goods store with R. C. McNairy and George S. Whitman called McNairy, Furman & Co.[3] By 1861, at the outset of the American Civil War, Furman dissolved his business, Furman & Co., which he co-owned with George Searight, James M. Goodloe, and Andrew Campbetl.[4]
After the war, he was the co-owner of Furman, Green & Co., another drygoods store with Frank W. Green, until 1869, when they closed down the business.[5] That same year, he opened another business on Cedar Street, Furman & Co.[5] A year later, in 1870, he renamed it Furman & Co. Wholesale Dry Goods and Notions, and move it to Nashville's Public Square, where it existed until 1890.[2]
Furman was married to Irish-born Mary J. Gilliam (1828-1900).[1] [2] They resided on North Cherry Street in Nashville.[6] In 1859, they had a son, Charles Furman, who died as an infant.[6] His funeral was conducted by Alexander Little Page Green.[6] Their second son, William G. Furman, was born in 1856 and died in 1900.[7]
Furman died in 1899.[1] He was buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, where his tomb was designed by Danish-born sculptor Johannes Gelert (1852-1923).[1] [8] It is the largest tomb in the cemetery.[9]
Furman Hall on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville is named in his honor.[2] [10] [11] It was the result of a US$100,000 donation by his widow after his death, even though he never attended the university.[2] [11] [12] Inside the building, there is a sculpture of Francis Furman.[2] From 1907 to 1967, it housed the Chemistry and Physics Department.[2] [10] [11] Since 1967, it has been home to the Humanities Department.[2] [10] [11]
Furman Hall statue by Johannes Gelert
