Maria Bissell Hotchkiss
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August 14, 1827
Maria Bissell Hotchkiss | |
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| Born | Maria Harrison Bissell August 14, 1827 Salisbury, Connecticut |
| Died | November 10, 1901 (aged 74) New York City |
| Resting place | Town Hill Cemetery, Lakeville, Connecticut |
| Education | Amenia Academy |
| Occupation | Educator |
| Spouse | Benjamin B. Hotchkiss |
| Parent(s) | William Bissell Eliza Ann Loveland |
Maria Harrison Hotchkiss (née Bissell; August 14, 1827 – November 10, 1901) was an American educator, heiress, and philanthropist. She was married to wealthy munitions maker Benjamin B. Hotchkiss, though long estranged. Upon receiving his inheritance she founded The Hotchkiss School, a private boarding school in Lakeville, Connecticut, in 1891.
Maria Harrison Bissell was born on August 14, 1827, in Salisbury, Connecticut.[1][2] Her father was William Bissell (1794–1869), and her mother was Eliza Ann Loveland (1800–1841). She grew up of slender means on a farm in Salisbury named "Tory Hill" with her two brothers, William Loveland Bissell (1833–1922) and Charles H. Bissell (1829–1928). The family was related to Presidents William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison.[1] Educated at Amenia Academy in Amenia, New York,[1] she went on to work as a teacher there.[1]
Marriage
In 1850, she married Benjamin B. Hotchkiss, a Connecticut born gun maker.[3] By the time of the American Civil War he had become a noted munitions developer. Hotchkiss patented a line of projectiles for rifled artillery that was used extensively during that conflict.[4][5][6]
When the U.S. government showed little interest in funding new weapons after the war Hotchkiss moved to France in 1867 - without Maria. There he set up a munitions factory, Hotchkiss et Cie, which went on to develop the renowned revolving barrel artillery piece known as the Hotchkiss gun.[citation needed]