Reuben Webster Millsaps | |
---|---|
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Personal details | |
Born |
Copiah County, Mississippi | May 30, 1833
Died |
June 28, 1916 Jackson, Mississippi | (aged 83)
Occupation | Businessman |
Reuben Webster Millsaps (May 30, 1833 - June 28, 1916) was an American businessman, financier and philanthropist.
Early years[]
Reuben Webster Millsaps was born on May 30, 1833 in Pleasant Valley, Copiah County, Mississippi.[1] He was of English, Scots-Irish, and Welsh descent. His family were farmers. He had eight siblings.
He attended Indiana Asbury College, now known as DePauw University, and Harvard University Law School, where he earned a law degree.
Civil War[]
He fought in the American Civil War as a soldier in the Confederate States Army and was wounded twice during the war. He attained the military rank of Major.
Postbellum career[]
After returning from the war he pursued a successful career in business and finance. He was President of Capital State Bank in Jackson, Mississippi.
Philanthropy[]
In 1890, Millsaps donated US$550,000, which was matched by contributions from Mississippi's Methodist community, for the creation of "a Christian college within the borders of our state".[2][3] The college is now known as Millsaps College and is located in Jackson, Mississippi.[2][3] He devoted the rest of his life to the building and running of the college.
Death[]

Tomb on the campus of Millsaps College
He died at his home in Jackson on June 28, 1916, at the age of 83.[4][5] He was buried on the campus of Millsaps College in Jackson.
References[]
- ↑ Reuben Webster Millsaps, Ancestry.com
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Julie L. Kimborough, Jackson, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 1998, p. 89
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mary Carol Miller, Lost landmarks of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 1999, p. 33
- ↑ "Maj. Millsaps Dead". Jackson, Mississippi. 1916-06-29. p. 1. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66472320/maj-millsaps-dead/.
- ↑ "Maj R. W. Millsaps, Philanthropist, Dead". Jackson, Mississippi. 1916-06-29. p. 4. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66472374/maj-r-w-millsaps-philanthropist-dead/.
External links[]
Template:Millsaps College
The original article can be found at Reuben Webster Millsaps and the edit history here.