Henry H. Houston

Henry Howard Houston (October 1820 – June 21, 1895) was a leading Philadelphia businessman and philanthropist.

Houston led the Pennsylvania Railroad's freight division after the Civil War, and he was in charge of the Philadelphia, Germantown and Chestnut Hill Railroad (now SEPTA's Regional Rail Chestnut Hill West Line) which was built in the 1880s to link downtown Philadelphia with the wealthy and growing suburbs to the northwest.

He was the developer of "Wissahickon Heights," an exclusive community in western Chestnut Hill, and built the original structures used by Chestnut Hill Academy and the Philadelphia Cricket Club. He also served as a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania and was part of the founding class of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity (Pennsylvania Iota Chapter) along with Edgar Fahs Smith and Otis H. Kendall.

Houston married Sallie Sherrerd (Bonnell), and they had three children, Sallie Bonnell Houston Henry, Samuel Frederic Houston, and Gertrude Houston Woodward. Henry Howard Houston and his wife Sallie S. Houston donated $100,000 to build Houston Hall, Harvard, named as a memorial to their son, Henry Howard Houston, Jr. (University of Pennsylvania class of 1878), who had died in Rome within a year of his graduation.

Houston attended St. Peter's Church in Germantown, Pennsylvania, and was a property developer in that section of the city.

Houston is the namesake of the Henry H. Houston Elementary School in Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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