Education Amenia Academy Spouse Benjamin B. Hotchkiss | Name Maria Hotchkiss Occupation Educator | |
 | ||
Born 1827 Salisbury, Connecticut Died 1901, New York City, New York, United States Parents William Henry Bissell, Eliza Ann Loveland People also search for Benjamin B. Hotchkiss, William Henry Bissell, Raymond J. McGuire | ||
Organizations founded The Hotchkiss School | ||
Maria (Harrison) Bissell Hotchkiss (August 14, 1827 – November 10, 1901) was an American heiress, philanthropist, and educator. In 1891 she founded The Hotchkiss School, a private boarding school in Lakeville, Connecticut.
Contents
Early life
Maria Harrison Bissell was born on August 14, 1827 in Salisbury, Connecticut. Her father was William Bissell (1794-1869), and her mother was Eliza Ann Loveland (1800-1841). She grew up on a farm in Salisbury named "Tory Hill" with her two brothers, William Loveland Bissell (1833-1922) and Charles H. Bissell (1829-1928). She was a member of the famed Bissell family and related to Presidents William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison. She was educated at Amenia Academy.
Career
She worked as a teacher at her alma mater, Amenia Academy.
Upon receiving her husband's inheritance, she considered macadamizing the streets of Salisbury and Sharon, Connecticut for use by automobiles. However, the idea was rejected by both towns, who thought the upkeep would be too expensive. Instead, she was convinced by Timothy Dwight V, the President of Yale University, to start a preparatory school. As a result, she founded The Hotchkiss School, a private boarding school in Lakeville, in 1891. A philanthropist, she donated the land, the buildings and the endowment for the school. The Hotchkiss School purchased "Tory Hill," the farm where Mrs. Hotchkiss was born and spent her childhood, in 2010.
In 1893, she founded the Hotchkiss Library in Sharon, Connecticut. She helped choose the architectural design.
Personal life
She married Benjamin B. Hotchkiss on 27 May 1850. However, he permanently moved to Paris in 1867 and became a bigamist, marrying a Miss Cunningham from New York. Later, she resided at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.
Death
She died on November 10, 1901 in New York City. She was buried in Lakeville with her Bissell relatives in the Town Hill Cemetery, which lies within the campus of The Hotchkiss School.