Was an attorney and mayor of Utica. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1886 and served several ten terms. He served as the 27th Vice President of the United States under President William Howard Taft.
Thomas Redfield Proctor moved to Utica in 1869 where he purchased the Bagg Hotel, managed the Bagg’s Hotel Farm and owned the Butterfield House of Utica and the Spring House of Richfield Springs. Thomas personally donated land to the city of Utica to create parks in honor of famous Uticans such as Roscoe Conklin, Horatio Seymour, Addison C. Miller, Truman K. Butler and J. Thomas Spriggs. The Proctor family gifted the site of the House of Good Shepherd and the land for the Utica Public Library.
Established the Buffalo, Albany and New York Telegraph Company in 1845 and was the first commercial telegraph company. He founded and endowed Faxton Hospital in 1875 and donated money to the Utica Public Library to purchase books. He established the House for the Homeless and when he passed he left his entire wealth to charity.
The Bagg family was one of the first settlers of Utica. A blacksmith by trade, Moses Bagg purchased 4 acres in downtown Utica. He opened a blacksmith shop, a tavern and an Inn. Moses Bagg II- Expanded the family accommodations for travelers by building a brick hotel on the original site of his family home. The new hotel opened in 1812 and it stood for 120 years. Moses Bagg III- A local doctor who studied at Hamilton College and Yale University. He later completed his medical degree.
Served as Governor of New York from 1853-1855 and again in 1863-1865. As the nominee of the Democratic Party for President of the United States in 1868, Seymour was defeated by Ulysses S. Grant.
A lawyer who achieved mayor of Utica in 1858, U.S. Representative from 1869 to 1863, Judge Advocate of War Department from 1863 to 1865, U.S. Representative from 1865 to 1867 and U.S. Senator from 1867 to 1880.
Was a visionary developer of the nation’s transportation and communication networks. In Utica in 1850, Butterfield was a founder and vice president of the American Express Company with Henry Wells of New York City as president of W.G. Fargo of Buffalo. John Butterfield’s Overland Mail Co. received a contract from the U.S. Congress in 1857 to carry mail 2,800 miles from St. Louis to San Francisco. Butterfield served as mayor of Utica in 1865.
A former slave born in Richmond, VA, moved to Utica with his owners . Once in Utica, Dove was set free and became one of the first African American fire fighter with the No. 4 Company.
Captain, then Colonel Benjamin Walker, was a solider in the American Revolutionary War and later served as a U.S. Representative for New York. He served as an aide on the staff of General George Washington (Pictured directly behind Washington)
Served as physician under Lieutenant - Colonel John Bradstreet during the French & Indian War. He was one of the founders and president of New Jersey Medical Society in 1769. In 1777, Cochran was made Physician & Surgeon General of the middle Department of the Medical Department of the Continental Army and Director General of the Hospital of the United States from 1781 to 1783. Multiple historians hail Cochran as the “Best of the Revolutionary period chief physicians”
Was an officer in the Union Army when he received the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Civil War Battle of Five Forks. He became the commander of his unit, the 146th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, during the last year of the war. Under his leadership, the brigade took the confederate defenses and captured more than one-thousand prisoners and four battle flags. Later Grindlay served as United States Consul to Kingston, Jamaica.
Medal of Honor recipient for his actions at the Battle of Antietam during the Civil War. Charles bravely picked up the Union flag and continued to march the troops into battle. He was shot three times while performing this act and managed to survive his injuries and return to duty three months later. Once discharged from the military, Cleveland returned to Utica and joined the Utica Police Department where he would eventually be promoted to Chief of Police.
Brigadier General of the Union Army during the Civil War. Ledlie was appointed major of the 19th New York Infantry, which was subsequently renamed the 3rd New York Artillery regiment. Leslie was dismissed from active duty following his actions at the Battle of the Crater during the Seize of Petersburg.
Born in German Flats, NY in 1761. At age 17, Bellinger served with the Tryon County Militia, Fourth regiment, under Colonel Peter Bellinger. The Fourth regiment fought in the Battle of Oriskany commanded by Revolutionary War hero Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer.
Was an American attorney, judge and legislator from New York. During his career he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, New York Attorney General, United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, a member of the New York State Senate, and a justice of the New York Supreme Court.
Roberts was a United States Representative from New York and the 20th Treasurer of the United States. He served as principal of Utica Free Academy in 1850 to 1851 and became editor and proprietor of the Utica Morning Herald. He was delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1864, 1868 and 1876. Roberts was also a member of the New York State Assembly in 1867.
A UFA graduate was an Olympic Athlete for the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Baxter brought home three silver and two gold medals in track and field. Once his Olympic career was over, Baxter returned to Utica and became a local lawyer.
Served as mayor of Utica in 1844, Chief Justice of New York Court of Appeals from 1868 to 1869 and associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1872 to 1882. Ward is remembered for his opposition to women’s suffrage and the guilty verdict and $100 fine (never collected) that he imposed on Susan B. Anthony during the closely - watched trial that resulted from her casting a vote in the 1872 election.
An inventor who moved to Utica around 1842, was instrumental in the development of the Morse Telegraph. Chubbuck invented the “Sounder” that the Morse telegraph needed to “Click out” the message.
In 1847 Asaph D. Mather operated a grocery store with his brother Joshua and invested in real estate. In 1866 on the corner of Genesee and Bleeker St., the site of his former grocery, Mather built A.D. Mather & Co.’s Bank, a private banking enterprise until it became a state bank in 1890. After Mather’s death in 1880, the A.D. Mather Co. took a financial interest in the Utica Belt Line Street Railroad Company when electricity was introduced into Utica’s streetcar system.
Coached for the 1945 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers. In 1946, Mills was named a coach of the MLB All-Star Team that featured Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio.