Joseph Lapsley Wilson
{{Short description|American military officer, railroad executive and horticulturist (1844–1928)}}
{{Infobox military person
|name=Joseph Lapsley Wilson
|image=Captain Joseph Lapsley Wilson G289.jpg
|caption=Captain Joseph Lapsley Wilson by Thomas Eakins (circa 1895)
|birth_date= September 17, 1844
|death_date= April 12, 1928
|birth_place=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
|death_place=
|placeofburial= Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
|placeofburial_label= Place of burial
|nickname=
|allegiance= United States
|branch= Union army
Pennsylvania Army National Guard
|serviceyears=1862–1867
|rank= Sergeant, Captain
|commands= First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry
|battles=American Civil War
|awards=
}}
Joseph Lapsley Wilson (September 17, 1844 – April 12, 1928) was an American military officer, railroad executive, and horticulturalist. He served in the Union army during the American Civil War and as captain of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry from 1889 to 1894. He wrote two histories of the First Troop in 1875 and 1915. He worked as secretary of the Little Schuylkill Navigation, Railroad and Coal Company for 38 years. He collected over 200 specimens of rare plants he displayed at his estate which became the Arboretum of the Barnes Foundation where he served as the first director.
Early life
Wilson was born in Philadelphia on September 17, 1844, and was educated at West Chester Academy in West Chester, Pennsylvania. His studies were interrupted in 1862, when he enlisted in the Union Army as a member of C Company Grays Reserves. He saw fire in July 1863 at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He was discharged from the army in 1867 at the rank of sergeant.{{cite web |last1=Rawdon |first1=Katy |title=Joseph Lapsley Wilson Papers 1922-1929 |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/barnes-images-p-e1c3c83bd163b8df/assets/Joseph-Lapsley-Wilson-Papers.pdf |website=s3.amazonaws.com |publisher=The Barnes Foundation Archives |access-date=23 March 2025}}
Career
He worked as secretary of the Little Schuylkill Navigation, Railroad and Coal Company, a division of the Reading Railroad, which transported anthracite from Northeastern Pennsylvania's coal region.{{cite web |last1=Maule |first1=Bradley |title=Life Anew For The Living Collections At The Barnes |url=https://hiddencityphila.org/2014/08/life-anew-for-the-living-collections-at-the-barnes/ |website=hiddencityphila.org |publisher=Hidden City Philadelphia |access-date=23 March 2025}} He worked for the company for 38 years.
File:1 City Troop.JPG{{cite book |title=Harper's New Monthly Magazine Volume LXXXIX. June to November 1894 |date=1894 |publisher=Harper and Brothers, Publishers |location=New York |page=16 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Harper_s_New_Monthly_Magazine/fCq6dBesPCcC |access-date=23 March 2025}}]]
In 1867, he was elected to the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, the oldest continually-active military unit in the United States, and part of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He served as the troop's captain from 1889 to 1894.{{cite book |last1=Seymour |first1=Joseph |title=First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry |date=2008 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |location=Charleston, South Carolina |isbn=978-0-7385-5767-0 |page=61 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/First_Troop_Philadelphia_City_Cavalry/s60RC-mvYn0C |access-date=23 March 2025}} He wrote its centennial history in 1875. Forty years later, he revised and updated the history: Book of the First Troop, Philadelphia City Cavalry, 1774-1914 (1915).[http://www.firsttroop.com/history.html First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818131028/http://www.firsttroop.com/history.html |date=2010-08-18 }}
In the late 1870s, he bought land in Merion, Pennsylvania, and built a mansion named "Red Slates". Inspired by the rare plants he observed at the Centennial Exposition, he collected over 200 specimens of plants and turned his property into an arboretum. In 1901, he married Caroline Alice Yates.
In 1922, he sold the estate to Dr. Albert C. Barnes, and he and his wife moved to a smaller house on the property. Barnes demolished the mansion to build his art gallery, but preserved the arboretum. Wilson served as the arboretum's first director and as a Barnes Foundation trustee, until his death.{{Cite web |url=http://www.barnesfoundation.org/h_main.html |title=About the Barnes Foundation |access-date=2011-07-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718111720/http://www.barnesfoundation.org/h_main.html |archive-date=2011-07-18 |url-status=dead }} Barnes named the road in front of the property Lapsley Lane in honor of Wilson. Some of trees planted by Wilson trees still survive at the Arboretum of the Barnes Foundation.{{cite web |title=The Barnes Arboretum at Saint Joseph’s University |url=https://gardensearch.bgci.org/garden/4684 |website=gardensearch.bgci.org |publisher=GardenSearch |access-date=23 March 2025}}
He was a member of the Pennsylvania Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Radnor Hunt Club, the Union League of Philadelphia and the National Republican League.{{cite web |title=Joseph Lapsley Wilson scrapbook |url=https://discover.hsp.org/Record/ead-Am.1906 |website=discover.hsp.org |publisher=Historical Society of Pennsylvania |access-date=23 March 2025}} He was a member of the Indian Rights Association,{{cite book |title=The Eighteenth Annual Report of the Executive Committee of the Indian Rights Association, For the Year Ending December 15, 1900 |date=1901 |publisher=Office of the Indian Rights Association |location=Philadelphia |page=95 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G7XVAAAAMAAJ |access-date=23 March 2025}} and opposed American imperialism.[http://www.antiimperialist.com/webroot/peopledocuments/membership/philleague.html American Anti-Imperialist League of Philadelphia]
He died on April 12, 1928, and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.{{cite web |title=Joseph L Wilson |url=https://remembermyjourney.com/memorials/joseph-l-wilson?id=1L2R3BzL |website=remembermyjourney.com |publisher=webCemeteries |access-date=23 March 2025}}
References
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External links
- {{Find a Grave|107348290}}
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Category:19th-century American railroad executives
Category:American horticulturists
Category:Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia)
Category:Businesspeople from Philadelphia
Category:Military personnel from Philadelphia
Category:Pennsylvania National Guard personnel