The Cogswells in America - citizen hylbom blog

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HENRY DANIEL COGSWELL.
[ 1656 ]
^rnraloatcal.
Henry Daniel* Cogswell, {George Washington'', Anios^, Benjamin'',
Joshua'', SamucP, John^, yohn^), son of George Washington' [ 1026 1
and Polly (Dimmick) Cogswell, was born March 3, 1820, in Tolland,
Conn. He married, Dec. 7, r846, Caroline E. Richards, daughter of
Reuel and Laura (Paine) Richards. She was born Feb. ig, 1822, in
Providence, R. I. They resided No. 319 Broadway, San Francisco,
Cal. They had no children.
Henry Daniel Cogswell in early boyhood was slender in forin, but of
elastic muscle and active brain. His mother died when be was eight years
old. His father soon after removed to the State of Xew York, leaving him in
the care of his grandparents. They, however, soon after died, and Henry
Daniel was thrown upon the wide world to look out for himself. He had
not the means sufficient to join his father in the State of New York. But
young as he was, he took in the situation, and set about earning a living and
making his fortune. He found employment in a cotton factory, by his little
earnings paid his way at school, and with some very friendly assistance, at the
age of eighteen years, he had acquired an education sufficient to teach a common
district school. A few years later he studied dentistry in Providence, R. I.
He commenced its practice in Pawtucket, and afterward, in 1847, opened an
office in Providence, R. I. \\hev\ gold was discovered in California, Dr. Cogs-
well was among the first to embark for the gold region. He sailed May 9,
1849, taking along with him quite a little stock of merchandise. Upon his
arrival he sold his goods to advantage, and soon was established in the prac-
tice of his profession in San Francisco. Mrs. Cogswell joined him in 1851.
The next thirty years devoted to his profession, and somewhat to business,
with its successes and its reverses, placed Dr. Cogswell among the millionnaires
of the Pacific coast. Dr. and Mrs. Cogswell, in 187 1, visited Europe, and
spent four years in travel in foreign lands. After their return Dr. Cogswell
was very busy in caring for his property, and in distributing large gifts in the
form of endowments for permanent institutions. He founded the Dental
College, of San Francisco, and conveyed it in trust to the Regents of the
State University of California. This gift embraced the entire accumulations
of twelve years of professional service. He established also the Cogswei l
Chair of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy, in the State University,
and The Cogswell Relief Fund, for the aid of students needing assistance.
Dr. Cogswell, as a matter of public beneficence, and to promote Temperance,