Eugene Cary

Cary was born February 20, 1835, in Boston, New York.^[1][2] Among Cary's ancestry were some of the original settlers of the Plymouth Colony.^[2] Cary remained in Erie County, New York until he was eighteen years old.^[3] In those early years, he worked on his father's farm,^[2] and was educated in the local country district school.^[3][2] At the age of sixteen, he entered the profession of teaching in order to secure himself opportunities for a fuller education,^[3] using he free time to begin reading law.^[2]

At the age of 18, Cary relocated westward to the city of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where he initially worked as a school teacher and studied law in the legal office of David Taylor.^[2] Cary briefly relocated back to Erie County, New York, in order to study law in Buffalo^[3] under James Sheldon^[2] and Nathan K. Hall,^[3][2] the latter being a name partner at the firm of Fillmore, Haven & Hall.^[3] Millard Fillmore, who later served as president of the United States, was also a name partner of the firm.^[3][4]

After finishing those legal studies in Buffalo, Cary returned to Sheboygan^[3] where he began practicing law at the age of 21.^[2] Very soon after returning to Sheboygan, he was elected at the age of 22 to served a term as city attorney.^[3][2] After this, he was appointed the county judge of Sheboygan County^[3] in 1857 (at the age of 22). While serving as a judge in 1857, he also entered the insurance industry by working as a local agent for Aetna and the Hartford Insurance Company.^[2]

Cary married Martha Rowe in 1858.^[1]

After the start of the American Civil War, Cary became a captain in the 1st Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, leading Sheboygan's H Company.^[5][6] He personally raised the H company, and led it to was warfront.^[3] He enlisted on September 16, 1861, was made second lieutenant on September 8, was promoted to first lieutenant on October 8, and was further promoted to captain on October 11. He later resigned as captain of the company on October 27, 1863.^[7]

For most of his civil war service, Cary was assigned as a judge advocate (military lawyer) for the first division of the XIV corps, being placed on the staff of generals Lovell Rousseau and Absalom Baird.^[3]

After the Civil War, Cary moved to Nashville, Tennessee,^[3] practicing law in that state. He also continued working in the insurance agency while in Tennessee, being employed there as the state agent of Aetna.^[1]

In October 1871,^[2] Cary moved to Chicago to take a job with the Imperial Insurance Company,^[1] having been asked to work as the company's general agent in the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire.^[3] In this role, he managed the company's Western Department.^[2] Two years later,^[2] Cary took a new job in Chicago as the general manager of the Western United States operations of the German-American Insurance Company,^[3] a company that was nationally headquartered in New York City.^[1] He held this latter job for more than three decades,^[2] until his unexpected death in 1904.^[11] Cary was highly prominent in the fire insurance industry.^[12] By the end of his life, Cary was one of the most well-known insurance industry professionals in the Western United States, and had become regarded the "dean" among Western United States insurance agents. At the time of his death, he was the presiding officer of the Association of Insurance Agents of Chicago.^[11] He also served two terms as president of the Western Union, a prominent insurance industry organization.^[2]

Cary served a single term as commander of the Illinois Commandery of the Loyal Legion, and a single term as president of the Commercial Club of Chicago.^[2] In January 1900, members of the Union League Club of Chicago elected Cary its president.^[2][13]

Cary died unexpectedly while in St. Louis, after giving a speech at a banquet that World's Fair officials were hosting for insurance industry agents.^[1][11] He died soon after returning to his seat, besides the seat of Louisiana Purchase Exposition President David R. Francis. The reported cause of his death was apoplexy.^[11]