Charles and Augustus Storrs
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Mansfield, Connecticut, US
Charles and Augustus Storrs | |
|---|---|
  Charles and Augustus Storrs c.1880 | |
| Other names | Chuck and Augie |
| Occupation(s) | Merchants, philanthropists |
| Known for | Founding the University of Connecticut |
| Charles Storrs | |
| Born | January 24, 1822 Mansfield, Connecticut, US |
| Died | September 1, 1884 (aged 62) Brooklyn, New York, US |
| Occupation | Merchant, entrepreneur |
| Augustus Storrs | |
| Born | June 4, 1817 Mansfield, Connecticut, US |
| Died | March 3, 1892 (aged 74) Mansfield, Connecticut, US |
| Occupation | Merchant, entrepreneur, farmer |
Charles Storrs (January 24, 1822 – September 1, 1884)[1] and Augustus Storrs (June 4, 1817 – March 3, 1892)[2] were American business partners and brothers who played a key role in establishing the Storrs Agricultural School (now the University of Connecticut) in 1881.[3]
The Storrs brothers were born into a hardscrabble farming family in Mansfield, Connecticut. Their parents were Royal Storrs, Jr., and Eunice Freeman, both of Mansfield. The Storrs brothers traced their paternity back to Samuel Storrs, who emigrated to the United States in 1663 from Nottinghamshire. He lived in Barnstable, Massachusetts, and then moved to Mansfield, Connecticut, where he died in April 1719.[4]
The brothers attended country school but never went to college. Charles Storrs became a school teacher at age 18, hired a substitute to work on his father's farm, and started himself out in business. He spent three years selling Mansfield-made silk to wholesale merchants, worked on commission for a manufacturing firm in Hartford from 1845 to 1850, and moved to Brooklyn in May 1850. He became a partner in his firm in July 1853, taking over the firm in 1854 and paying off its liabilities. In December 1854, he started a commission-based mercantile firm called the Storrs Brothers, associating with his brothers Augustus and Royal Otis. Royal dropped out after a year or so, but Charles and Augustus continued to work together. Charles served as head of the firm for 25 years, from 1854 to 1879, and accumulated a substantial fortune. Charles was a friend of Horace Greeley, accompanying Greeley on a 1871 trip to Texas and serving as executor of Greeley's will. Retired in 1879, Charles was endorsed by the Brooklyn Eagle and the Brooklyn Times as a candidate for mayor of Brooklyn. In his authorized biography, Charles was described as genial, energetic, and sincere, with a passion for collecting books, art, and friends. In 1866—67 he undertook an Old World journey together with his wife, daughter and several friends, including the poet Edna Dean Proctor who published her impressions in "A Russian Journey" (1871).[4]
Less is known about the elder brother, Augustus Storrs. In 1839, Augustus opened a store in the Gurleyville village of Mansfield. He moved to Hartford in 1846 and to Brooklyn in 1851.[5] Augustus went into business with Charles in New York City, but whereas Charles remained in Brooklyn except to travel, in 1875 Augustus bought the family homestead from Royal Otis and developed a stock farm of more than 800 acres, raising thoroughbred cattle and horses. He spent his summers in Mansfield and actively supervised the family's 800-acre farm.[2] Augustus was a friend of Henry Ward Beecher and attended Beecher's Plymouth Church from 1858 onward, serving as treasurer, trustee, and president. Augustus was accounted a practical, meticulous, and unobtrusive person and successful gentleman farmer.[1]