Hartwell Carver | |
---|---|
Born | July 19, 1789 |
Died | April 16, 1875 |
Resting place |
Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester, New York |
Occupation(s) | Doctor, businessman |
Known for | Advocate for Pacific Railroad |
Dr. Hartwell Carver (July 19 1789 – April 16, 1875) [1] was an American doctor, businessman, and an early promoter of what would become the Transcontinental Railroad.
Carver's push for a railroad to connect both coasts of the United States began in 1832 with a proposal that was dismissed by Congress. Over the next several years, Carver wrote a series of articles in the New York Courier and Enquirer about the subject. [1] He participated in the hammering of the Golden Spike that officially joined the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads on May 10, 1869 at Promontory, Utah. [2]
His historic home in Pittsford sold in 2018 for $1,179,000. [3]
Carver was interred at Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York under a 50-foot (15.24 m) monument erected by the Union Pacific Railroad. The monument is the second tallest in the cemetery. [4] The inscription reads:
"Dr. Carver was the father of the Pacific Railroad; with him originated the thought of connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans by railroad." [5]
Carver was erroneously described on the monument at his grave, as well as by local histories, as the great-grandson of John Carver, who came over on the Mayflower and was the first governor of Plymouth Colony, [6] while this purported ancestor actually had no descendants. [7]