Manuscript Notes on the Life of Henry Rutgers

Edmund B. Shotwell, 1901-1962

Edmund B. Shotwell graduated from Yale University in 1923. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1926. He was admitted to the bar in both New York and New Jersey. Shotwell was also admitted to practice before the Supreme Court. Specializing in estate law, he was associated with the law firms of Dorr, Hand, Whittaker and Watson in New York; and Richard Riddle Fisher in Newark.

Shotwell was the son of Thomas Cooper Shotwell, the financial editor for the New York Evening Journal, and a former Spanish-American war correspondent. His lineage can be traced back to the mid-17th century; his ancestor Abraham Shotwell was among the first settlers of Elizabeth Town, New Jersey. A brewer like Harman Rutgers (Henry's great-grandfather), Abraham Shotwell owned land on the Lower East Side of Manhattan Island, and it is conceivable that the Rutgers and Shotwell families were acquaintances.

Married in 1927 to Katherine Duguid, Edmund B. Shotwell had five children. His son Tom, Rutgers '50, inspired Shotwell's research into the life of Colonel Henry Rutgers. An amateur historian, Shotwell also published a pamphlet entitled "The Battles of Connecticut Farms and Springfield." He was also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. Edmund B. Shotwell died in 1962, at the age of 61.

Henry Rutgers, 1745-1830

Henry Rutgers, a sixth-generation descendent of a family whose wealth and popularity placed them among the leaders of their community, became his clan's most illustrious member. Born in 1745, Rutgers was educated at King's College (Columbia), and began a long career as a gentleman, philanthropist and politician.

During the 1760's American colonists began serious disputes with English rule. Rutgers, a staunch colonial, became by 1776, a captain in the Continental army. In 1789, he was appointed a lieutenant colonel in the New York Militia. Rutgers' role in the Revolutionary War brought him not only fame, but the friendship of George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette.

Rutgers defended his country during the War of 1812, as well. By convincing volunteers to build fortifications, Rutgers helped ensure the successful defense of New York from the British.

Four-times elected to the New York State Legislature, Rutgers used his considerable land holdings for the benefit of his fellow citizens. Although a member of the Dutch Reform Church, Rutgers' gifts of land and money were interdenominental, and some Rutgers funded congregations are still in existence. Rutgers also contributed both time and money to educational institutions, founding the Rutgers Female College, and serving as a trustee of Columbia, Princeton, and New York University.

Henry Rutgers' affiliation with Queens College dates to 1815, when for six years he served as a trustee of the college. His generous donation of five thousand dollars and a bell, as well as his continued support of the college led to the petitioning of the New Jersey Legislature for a name change. The petition was granted on December 5, 1825, and Queens College became Rutgers College.

Henry Rutgers never married. At his death in 1830, Rutgers' bequests continued the good works of his life by donating one-third of his fortune to charities.