26 Facts About Gurdon Wattles

Gurdon Wallace Wattles was an early businessman, banker, and civic leader in Omaha, Nebraska, who became responsible for bankrolling much of early Hollywood.

Gurdon Wallace Wattles was the third son of James Wattles and Elizabeth Whitton.

Gurdon Wattles was born on May 12,1855, in the town of Richford, New York, and died on January 31,1932, in Hollywood, California.

Gurdon Wattles was the grandson of Dr Tower Whitton, a 1796 graduate of Dartmouth College.

Gurdon Wattles's first name, Gurdon, was derived from his ancestor Brampton Gurdon, who was a member of Parliament for Sudbury and high sheriff of Suffolk.

Gurdon Wattles was a descendant of John Lothropp, an English Anglican clergyman who became a Congregationalist minister and emigrant to New England.

Gurdon Wattles was a descendant of John Mason, an English army major, a deputy governor of Connecticut, and the principal founder of Norwich, Connecticut.

Gurdon Wattles' father served as a lieutenant in the 109th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the War of the Rebellion, and after the war, he decided to move the family.

Gurdon Wattles graduated from high school there, and soon after became a teacher for several years to finance his college education.

Gurdon Wattles married Abigail Jane Leete, known as "Jennie", on October 20,1882, in her hometown of Clarksville, Iowa.

Gurdon Wattles was born about 1858 in Clarksville, Iowa, and died on May 25,1916, at Presbyterian Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.

Gurdon Wattles married Julia Vance at Estes Park, Colorado, on June 26,1918.

Gurdon Wattles was born at Milford, Nebraska, on August 23,1883, the daughter of Alexander Hamilton Vance.

Gurdon Wattles studied for three years at Doane College, and was a graduate of both Oberlin College and Columbia College.

Gurdon Wattles was the director of the home economics department at the University of Nebraska when she met Gurdon Wattles.

Gurdon Wattles gave birth to a son, Gurdon Wallace Wattles Jr.

In 1882 Gurdon Wattles first ventured into banking by working with silent partners to found the Farmer's Bank in Carroll.

In 1905, Gurdon Wattles became the president, and then the chairman of the board of the United States National Bank of Omaha, serving until 1920.

Also in 1905, Gurdon Wattles was the lead of Nebraska's exhibit at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St Louis, Missouri.

Gurdon Wattles was a director of the Chicago Great Western Railroad, and was responsible for the construction of the Omaha landmark Hotel Fontenelle in 1914.

In 1897, Gurdon Wattles became the organizer and chairman of the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition and Indian Congress.

Gurdon Wattles's leadership is credited with bringing over 2.6 million people to Omaha to view the 4,062 exhibits during the five months of the exposition.

When President William McKinley visited, Gurdon Wattles introduced him to the crowd of nearly 100,000 assembled on the plaza.

Gurdon Wattles' expo stretched over a 180-acre tract in North Omaha and featured a 2,000-foot -long lagoon encircled by 21 classical buildings that featured fine and modern products from around the world.

Gurdon Wattles was elected delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1904.

Gurdon Wattles permanently relocated his family to their new California home in January 1922, and opened an office in the Hellman Bank Building at 7th and Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles.