William S. Caldwell Explained
William Shakespeare Caldwell (February 11, 1821 – May 23, 1874) was an American philanthropist.
Early life
Caldwell was born on February 11, 1821, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was the eldest son of English-born American James H. Caldwell and Maria Carter (Hall) Wormeley Caldwell (1784–1859). His mother was the widow of Warner Wormeley of Rose Gill. From that marriage, he had an elder half-brother, Dr. Carter Warner Wormeley. His father was a theatre actor and entrepreneur who owned the New Orleans Gas Light Company.
His maternal grandparents were Dr. Elisha Hall (family physician to Mary Washington) and Caroliana (Carter) Hall (a daughter of Charles Carter, the longtime member of the Virginia House of Burgesses).[1] [2]
Career
Caldwell is considered "one of Louisville's first multimillionaires", he used his inheritance to acquire several large tracts of land in Louisville, including at Brook and Breckinridge Streets as well as parts of downtown Louisville and the land that became Bowman Field, Seneca Park and part of Cherokee Park. After the U.S. Civil War, Caldwell and his wife moved to New York City. At the same time, they bought an Italianate style cottage in Newport, Rhode Island on the southeast corner of Kay and Ayrault Streets that formerly belonged to Boston merchant Caleb Chace.[3] [4] [5]
A devout Roman Catholic, he used his wealth, under the guidance of Cardinal James Gibbons, to establish the home for the charitable Catholic order Little Sisters of the Poor in Richmond, Virginia.[6] In honor of his wife, who died in 1867, he funded the construction of the Sisters Mary and Elizabeth Hospital Louisville, which opened in 1874 shortly before his death.[7]
Personal life
In 1853, Caldwell married Mary Eliza Breckinridge (1830–1867), a daughter of Mary Eliza (Grayson) Breckinridge and U.S. Representative James D. Breckinridge.[8] The Caldwells had a mansions in Louisville, New York City, and Newport, Rhode Island.[9] Together, they were the parents of:[10]
- Mary Gwendolin Byrd "Mamie" Caldwell (1863–1909), who was engaged to Joachim, 4th Prince Murat, the grandson of the King of Naples Joachim Murat and Caroline Bonaparte (sister of Napoleon I).[11] [12] She broke off their engagement and married François Jean Louis, Marquis des Monstiers-Mérinville, in 1896. Despite giving to Catholic charities, she renounced Catholicism in 1904.[13] [14]
- Mary Elizabeth Breckinridge "Lina" Caldwell (1865–1910), who married Baron Moritz Curt von Zedtwitz in 1890. A German diplomat who served as Minister to Mexico and belonged to the old Zedtwitz noble family, which rose under the Electorate of Saxony, he died in 1896 when his yacht Isolde was rammed during the Royal Albert Regatta at Southsea by Kaiser Wilhelm II's royal yacht, Meteor.[15] [16]
Caldwell died in New York City on May 23, 1874.[17]
Descendants
Through his daughter Lina, he was a grandfather of Baron Waldemar von Zedtwitz, a bridge champion who never married.[18] [19] In 1931, he sold the family's Newport mansion, which was torn down to make room for residential development. The John La Farge stained glass widows in the house which had been commissioned by the Caldwell sisters, were saved by Bishop James Edwin Cassidy for installation in the convent of St. Patrick's Church at Fall River. When the convent was demolished in 2004, the windows were acquired by Salve Regina University and returned to Newport.[3]
Notes and References
- Book: Mary . College of William and . William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine . 1914 . . 137 . 2 August 2024 . en.
- Web site: Stevens, Ashlie. Curious Louisville: Who Were The Caldwell Sisters?. WFPL. April 5, 2019. August 31, 2022.
- Yarnall . James L. . John La Farge's Windows for the Caldwell Sisters of Newport . . Summer 2006 . 31–38 . 2 August 2024 . Vol. 64, No. 2.
- Book: Miller . Paul . Lost Newport . 15 November 2008 . Applewood Books . 978-1-55709-091-1 . 28–29 . 2 August 2024 . en.
- Web site: Watercolor rendering of the main hall of the Caldwell House, Kay St., Newport, Rhode Island . www.historicnewengland.org . . 2 August 2024.
- Book: Reynolds . Cuyler . Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs: A Record of Achievements of the People of the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys in New York State, Included Within the Present Counties of Albany, Rensselaer, Washington, Saratoga, Montgomery, Fulton, Schenectady, Columbia and Greene . 1911 . Lewis Historical Publishing Company . 957 . 2 August 2024 . en.
- Religious Communities of Women . The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. . 1914 . 101 . 2 August 2024 . Catholic Editing Company . en.
- Web site: Elson, Martha. Louisville ties to pope's D. C. visit. The Courier-Journal. 18 September 2015. 31 August 2022.
- Book: Nuesse . C. Joseph . The Catholic University of America: A Centennial History . 1990 . . 978-0-8132-0736-0 . 27 . 2 August 2024 . en.
- Book: Kleber . John E. . The Encyclopedia of Louisville . 11 July 2014 . . 978-0-8131-4974-5 . 155 . en.
- News: SHE WILL MARRY A PRINCE; MISS CALDWELL ASKS HER GUARDIANS' APPROVAL. MR. EUGENE KELLY RECEIVES LETTERS PRAISING PRINCE MURAT VERY HIGHLY--A LOVE MATCH. . 2 August 2024 . . 23 July 1889.
- News: PRINCE MURAT IS DEAD.; Was Born in New Jersey in 1834 -- His Mother Was an American. . 2 August 2024 . . 25 October 1901.
- News: MARQUISE DES MONSTIERS RENOUNCES CATHOLICISM; Founded Roman Catholic University at Washington. WAS MISS M.G. CALDWELL Says She Has Long Been Dissatisfied with the Church -- Follows Her Sister's Example. . 2 August 2024 . . 16 November 1904.
- News: Times . Special to The New York . MAY SUE CHURCH UNIVERSITY.; Report That Marquise des Monstiers Will Try to Recover Money She Gave. . 2 August 2024 . . 22 November 1904.
- News: BARON ZEDTWITZ KILLED; ROYAL ALBERT REGATTA INTERRUPTED BY A FATAL ACCIDENT. The Meteor Crashes into the Isolde, Fairly Wrecking the Little Yacht -- Baron von Zedtwitz, the Owner, Thrown into the Water and Killed -- The Crew Knocked Overboard, but All Safely Rescued -- The Races Postponed. . 2 August 2024 . . 19 August 1896.
- News: CUTTER ISOLDE SET ASHORE.; Yacht Which Cost Baron von Zedtwitz His Life Lifted from Manitou's Deck Yesterday. . 2 August 2024 . . 12 June 1901.
- Web site: William Shakespeare Caldwell . history.ky.gov . . 2 August 2024 . en.
- News: Truscott . Alan . WALDEMAR VON ZEDTWITZ DIES; TOP FIGURE IN CONTRACT BRIDGE . 2 August 2024 . . 6 October 1984.
- News: Truscott . Alan . Bridge: Dinner in Hawaii to Honor Memories of Von Zedtwitz . 2 August 2024 . . 8 May 1986.
