Augustus Belknap

{{Short description|American Civil War veteran and railway executive}}

{{Infobox military person

| name = Augustus Belknap

| image = CaptainAugustusBelknapJr.jpg

| caption = Belknap in his Union Army officer uniform {{circa|1863}}

| allegiance = United States (Union)

| branch = U.S. Army (Union Army)

| serviceyears = 1861–1863

| rank = Captain (USA)
Colonel (NY Natl. Guard)

| servicenumber =

| unit = 7th Regiment, New York National Guard
67th New York Infantry Regiment

| commands = Company E (67th NY)

| battles = {{Tree list}}

| battles_label =

| awards =

| relations =

| laterwork =

| module = {{Infobox person| embed = yes

| birth_name = Augustus Belknap Jr.

| birth_date = March 19, 1841

| birth_place = Newburgh, New York, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1889|6|22|1841|3|19}}

| death_place = Santa Barbara, California, U.S.

| burial_place = Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, U.S.

| burial_coordinates = {{coord|40|39|09|N|73|59|28|W|source:GNIS|display=inline,title}}

| other_names =

| occupation =

| years_active =

| known_for =

| spouse = {{marriage|Julia Pickard|December 9, 1863}}

| children = 4

| party = Republican}}

}}

Augustus Belknap Jr. (March 19, 1841 – June 22, 1889) was an American civic leader of San Antonio, Civil War veteran, politician, president of the board of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway, founder of the Belknap Rifles military company and the founder of the company that operated the only streetcar system in the city.

He was born in Newburgh, New York, as the son of Augustus Belknap, and moved to Texas in 1877. He founded and supported the Belknap Rifles military company, organized on October 14, 1884. It won more drill competitions than any other military company in the United States in its time. The oldest concrete street in Texas, Belknap Place in San Antonio, is named for him.

Civil War service

He was educated in private military schools and worked in hardware before the Civil War from 1856 to 1861.

He enlisted to the New York National Guard on April 19, 1861. After his terms of service expired, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was in the 67th New York Infantry Regiment, seeing action in the Battle of Fair Oaks, in which he was wounded, and the Battle of Fredericksburg.{{cite web|last=Pease|first=S. W.|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/belknap-augustus|title=Belknap, Augustus (1841–1889)|date=1974|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=January 24, 2024}} He enlisted in the Army as a second lieutenant and was promoted to captain.{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-soldiers-detail.htm?soldierId=1F6D1E81-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A|title=Belknap, Jr., Augustus|work=Civil War Soldiers|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=January 24, 2024}} In his obituary in the New York Herald it mentions that he served on the staff of General Alexander Shaler during the war.{{cite web|url=https://www.green-wood.com/2015/civil-war-biographies-baker-benson/|title=Civil War Biographies - Belknap, Jr, Augustus|publisher=Green-Wood Cemetery|date=2015|access-date=January 24, 2024}}

Later life

Belknap became a member of the Old Guard Metropolitan Regiment in New York City after the war, and later became a junior partner in the hardware firm of William S. Dodge and Company. In March 1877, he was promoted from his rank of lieutenant colonel and ordinance officer in the New York National Guard.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h_qPqr4RdfEC|chapter=Annual Report of the Adjutant-General|title=Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York, One Hundred and First Session.—1878|date=1878|page=129|publisher=Jerome B. Permenter, State Printer|via=Google Books}}

He moved to Texas in 1877 and lived in San Antonio. On June 22, 1878, Belknap bought all the stock in the San Antonio Street Railway System, and led the first mule-drawn car from Alamo Plaza to San Pedro Springs Park. This route developed into the first streetcar line in the city.{{cite web|last=Stover|first=Scott E.|url=https://www.sanantonio.gov/Portals/0/Files/Parks/pdf/sanpedrodesignarticle.pdf|title=San Pedro Springs Park, Texas|date=Winter 1996|access-date=January 24, 2024|publisher=The Park Practice Program, a cooperative effort of the National Park Service and the National Recreation and Park Association|website=City of San Antonio|page=8}} He became the founder and president of the company that operated the city's only streetcar system. He also was a director of the San Antonio Fair Association and president and director of the Opera House Company.

Belknap was elected to be an alderman from the second ward of San Antonio in 1883 and 1885.

Belknap was a member of the first board of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway when it was chartered on August 28, 1884.{{cite web|last=Young|first=Nancy|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/san-antonio-and-aransas-pass-railway|title=San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway|date=1952|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=January 24, 2024}} He founded the Belknap Rifles on October 14, 1884, financing the military company for twenty to thirty young men who were denied admission to the San Antonio Rifles.{{cite web|last=Green|first=Rena Maverick|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/belknap-rifles|title=Belknap Rifles|date=1952|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=January 24, 2024}} He was an alderman at-large in 1887.{{cite web|url=https://www.sanantonio.gov/Municipal-Archives-Records/About-Archives-Records/Officials#312811709-1900-1850|title=Elected Officials of San Antonio 1900–1850|website=City of San Antonio|access-date=January 24, 2024}} He resigned later in 1887 to run for the 10th congressional district.

He ran for the seat in Texas's 10th congressional district in the 51st Congress as a Republican, against incumbent Joseph D. Sayers, losing to the congressman who would later on become the governor of Texas.{{cite book|last=Daniell|first=Lewis E.|date=1889|title=Personnel of the Texas State Government...|quote=Mr. Sayers was Lieutenant Governor of Texas from 1879 to 1880, and was elected to the Forty-ninth Congress as a Democrat, receiving twenty-one thousand five hundred and twenty-three votes for his competitor, John B. Rector, perhaps the most popular Republican in the district, although he ran as an Independent. He was re-elected to the Fiftieth and also the Fifty-first Congresses, defeating, in the last race, a very popular gentleman, a Republican. General Belknap, of San Antonio.|page=124}}

He died while on a trip to Santa Barbara, California, on June 22, 1889,{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1889/06/26/archives/col-augustus-belknap.html|title=Col. Augustus Belknap|work=The New York Times|date=June 26, 1889|access-date=January 24, 2024}} of ulcerative colitis. He was buried in the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Belknap Place, a thoroughfare in San Antonio's Monte Vista Historic District connecting the northern edge of San Antonio College, Temple Beth-El and Hildebrand Avenue, that is the oldest concrete street in Texas is named for him.{{cite news|last=Bennett|first=Steve|url=https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/history-culture/article/Monte-Vista-home-to-oldest-concrete-street-in-7543442.php|title=Monte Vista home to oldest concrete street in Texas|publisher=San Antonio Express-News|date=March 18, 2016|access-date=January 25, 2024}}

References

Bibliography

{{cite book|chapter=Annual Report of the Adjutant-General|title=Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York, One Hundred and First Session.—1878|date=1878|publisher=Jerome B. Permenter, State Printer}}
{{cite book|last=Daniell|first=Lewis E.|title=Personnel of the Texas State Government, with sketches of Distinguished Texans embracing the Executive and Staff, Heads of the Departments, United States Senators and Representatives, Members of the Twenty-First Legislature|publisher=Smith, Hicks and Jones, State Printers.|publication-place=Austin|date=1889}}

{{succession box

| title = Republican nominee for Texas's 10th congressional district

| before = James P. Newcomb

| after = Austin M. Robinson

| years = 1888}}

{{succession box

| title = Alderman At-large of San Antonio

| before = Office established

| after = J. H. Schaefer

| years = 1887

}}

{{succession box