Quincy Adams Shaw
Encyclopedia
Quincy Adams Shaw was a Boston Brahmin
investor and business magnate
who
was the first president of Calumet and Hecla Mining Company
.
(February 19, 1790November 23, 1849), a wealthy Boston physician who was murdered in 1849 in a gruesome and highly publicized case, was Elizabeth's brother.
Shaw was good friends with his cousin, American historian Francis Parkman Junior
(September 16, 1823November 8, 1893), and the pair travelled together to the American West after graduating from Harvard University
in 1845. Parkman's 1849 book, The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life
is dedicated to Shaw.
Shaw's older brother Francis George Shaw (October 23, 1809November 7, 1882) was an outspoken advocate of the abolition of slavery
. Shaw's nephew, son of Francis George, was Robert Gould Shaw
(October 10, 1837July 18, 1863). The latter was a colonel
in the Volunteer Army of the United States
during the American Civil War
, and commander of the all-black
54th Regiment
. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw was killed in action
during the Second Battle of Fort Wagner in 1863.
(May 28, 1807December 14, 1873). The couple had five children: Louis Agassiz Shaw (September 18, 1861July 2, 1891), Pauline, Marian, Quincy Adams (July 30, 1869May 8, 1960), and Robert Gould II
(18731930).
Shaw's grandson, Louis Agassiz Shaw Junior, is credited along with Philip Drinker
for inventing the Drinker respirator, the first widely used iron lung.
(18341919) became major investors in the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company, and Shaw was the first president of the company. Shaw retained that position for only a few months before Alexander Emanuel Agassiz
(another brother-in-law) took over.
In his Boston Daily Globe
obituary, Shaw was named "the heaviest individual taxpayer in Massachusetts" and "the head of the family whose members in various ways have done much to promote the educational and commercial interests of Boston."
Boston Brahmin
Boston Brahmins are wealthy Yankee families characterized by a highly discreet and inconspicuous life style. Based in and around Boston, they form an integral part of the historic core of the East Coast establishment...
investor and business magnate
Business magnate
A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a capitalist, czar, mogul, tycoon, baron, oligarch, or industrialist, is an informal term used to refer to an entrepreneur who has reached prominence and derived a notable amount of wealth from a particular industry .-Etymology:The word magnate itself...
who
was the first president of Calumet and Hecla Mining Company
Calumet and Hecla Mining Company
The Calumet and Hecla Mining Company was a major copper-mining company based in the Michigan Copper Country. In the 19th century, the company paid out more than $72 million in shareholder dividends, more than any other mining company in the United States during that period.-History:In 1864, Edwin J...
.
Family and early life
Shaw came from a famous and moneyed Boston family. With a net worth of $1,000,000 dollars in 1846, Shaw's father (Robert Gould Shaw, 17761853) was one of the wealthiest men in Boston. His mother was Elizabeth Willard Parkman (31 March 178514 April 1853), whose father Samuel Parkman (August 22, 1751June 11, 1824) was the original source of capital upon which her husband built one of the wealthiest and largest business enterprises in Boston at that time. George ParkmanGeorge Parkman
George Parkman , a Boston Brahmin , belonged to one of Boston's richest families...
(February 19, 1790November 23, 1849), a wealthy Boston physician who was murdered in 1849 in a gruesome and highly publicized case, was Elizabeth's brother.
Shaw was good friends with his cousin, American historian Francis Parkman Junior
Francis Parkman
Francis Parkman was an American historian, best known as author of The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life and his monumental seven-volume France and England in North America. These works are still valued as history and especially as literature, although the biases of his...
(September 16, 1823November 8, 1893), and the pair travelled together to the American West after graduating from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1845. Parkman's 1849 book, The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life
The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life
The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life is a book written by Francis Parkman. It was originally serialized in twenty-one installments in Knickerbocker's Magazine and subsequently published as a book in 1849.The book is a breezy, first-person account of a 2 month summer tour...
is dedicated to Shaw.
Shaw's older brother Francis George Shaw (October 23, 1809November 7, 1882) was an outspoken advocate of the abolition of slavery
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
. Shaw's nephew, son of Francis George, was Robert Gould Shaw
Robert Gould Shaw
Robert Gould Shaw was an American officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. As colonel, he commanded the all-black 54th Regiment, which entered the war in 1863. He was killed in the Second Battle of Fort Wagner, near Charleston, South Carolina...
(October 10, 1837July 18, 1863). The latter was a colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
in the Volunteer Army of the United States
United States Volunteers
United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U. S. Vol., or U.S.V.Starting as early as 1861 these regiments were often referred to as the "volunteer army" of the United States but not officially named that until 1898.During the nineteenth century this was the United States federal...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and commander of the all-black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
54th Regiment
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
The 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was one of the first official black units in the United States during the Civil War...
. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw was killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
during the Second Battle of Fort Wagner in 1863.
Later life
On November 30, 1860, Shaw married Pauline Agassiz (6 February 184110 February 1917), daughter of Louis AgassizLouis Agassiz
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss paleontologist, glaciologist, geologist and a prominent innovator in the study of the Earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel...
(May 28, 1807December 14, 1873). The couple had five children: Louis Agassiz Shaw (September 18, 1861July 2, 1891), Pauline, Marian, Quincy Adams (July 30, 1869May 8, 1960), and Robert Gould II
Robert Gould Shaw II
Robert Gould Shaw II was a wealthy landowner and socialite of the leisure class in the greater Boston area of Massachusetts during the late 19th century, in an era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States referred to as the Gilded Age.Born in 1872 into one of the wealthiest and...
(18731930).
Shaw's grandson, Louis Agassiz Shaw Junior, is credited along with Philip Drinker
Philip Drinker
Philip Drinker was an industrial hygienist. With Louis Agassiz Shaw, he invented the first widely used iron lung in 1928.-Family and early life:...
for inventing the Drinker respirator, the first widely used iron lung.
Career
Shaw and his brother-in-law Henry Lee HigginsonHenry Lee Higginson
Henry Lee Higginson was a noted American businessman and philanthropist. He is best known as the founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.-Family and Early Life:...
(18341919) became major investors in the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company, and Shaw was the first president of the company. Shaw retained that position for only a few months before Alexander Emanuel Agassiz
Alexander Emanuel Agassiz
Alexander Emmanuel Rodolphe Agassiz , son of Louis Agassiz and stepson of Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz, was an American scientist and engineer.-Biography:...
(another brother-in-law) took over.
In his Boston Daily Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
obituary, Shaw was named "the heaviest individual taxpayer in Massachusetts" and "the head of the family whose members in various ways have done much to promote the educational and commercial interests of Boston."
External links
- Quincy Adams Shaw Collection : Italian Renaissance sculpturee: paintings and pastels by Jean François Millet : exhibition opening April 18, 1918, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, via Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
(scanned books original editions)