Timothy Blackstone
| Timothy Blackstone | |
|---|---|
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| Mayor of La Salle, Illinois | |
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In office 1854–1855 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 28, 1829 Branford, Connecticut |
| Died | May 26, 1900 (aged 71) Chicago, Illinois |
| Spouse(s) | Isabella Farnsworth Norton |
| Children | none |
| Residence | Chicago, Illinois |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
Timothy Beach Blackstone (March 28, 1829 – May 26, 1900) was a 19th-century railroad executive, businessman, philanthropist, and politician. He is descended from one of the earliest British settlers of New England, William Blaxton. Blackstone worked in the railroad industry for most of his life after dropping out of school. At the time of his death, his estate was worth US$6 million ($172.7 million today).
Blackstone served as president of the Chicago and Alton Railroad from 1864 through 1899, was a founding president of the , and served one term as mayor of La Salle, Illinois. An active philanthropist, Blackstone was the benefactor of the James Blackstone Memorial Library in Branford, Connecticut. A nearly identical library, Blackstone Memorial Library, was donated to the Chicago Public Library by Timothy Blackstone's widow in 1902. The Blackstones also funded Blackstone Hall for the Art Institute of Chicago Building. Chicago's Blackstone Library is the first dedicated branch of the Chicago Public Library system, and later his mansion became the site of the Blackstone Hotel and the Blackstone Theatre.
Blackstone was born in Branford, Connecticut, the sixth child, and fourth son, of James Blackstone and Sarah Beach. His father, James, served in the Connecticut Senate representing the sixth district. James had also served in the Connecticut House of Representatives and the Connecticut militia. The family is descended from William Blaxton, an English settler who arrived in New England in the seventeenth century and became the first European settler in Rhode Island.William Blackstone, an English judge and jurist, is a distant cousin.
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