Eugene Zimmerman

Eugene Zimmerman (December 17, 1845 – December 20, 1914) was an American industrialist and railroad owner. He amassed great wealth as a stockholder or shareholder in John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil. He used the income from his Standard Oil holdings to invest in railroads. Early life Zimmerman was born in Vicksburg, Warren County, Mississippi, on December 17, 1845. He was son of Solomon Zimmerman (Kingston, Ross County, Ohio, 1807 – Clifton, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, 13 May 1859) and wife (Vicksburg, Warren County, Mississippi, 27 February 1845) Hannah J. Biggs (Pennsylvania, 1824 – Clifton, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, 14 July 1861) and paternal grandson of Martin Zimmerman and wife Barbara Pontius. His younger brother was Martin Zimmerman and his younger sister was Ellen (née Zimmerman) Laird. After his father's death, his mother remarried to Andrew Jackson LaBoiteaux in November 1859 in Hamilton County, Ohio before her death in 1861. His grandfather was an officer in the Dutch Army. His father had moved to Mississippi from Ohio to inherit a foundry and several slaves. Eugene grew up at the family's business and was sent to Cincinnati in 1859 to attend Farmer's College. In the spring of 1861, he began attending the preparatory school Gambier Academy with the intention of attending Kenyon College. Career Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, Zimmerman left the Academy and tried to join the Union Navy, but was refused because he was too young. After some modifications, he was accepted, becoming a Master's mate and was assigned to the Mississippi River Squadron. While in the Navy, his ship was struck by torpedo which killed several seamen and threw him into the Yazoo River. He participated in the Battle of Saint Charles and Duvall's Bluffs and served with distinction during the capture of Arkansas Post in 1863, after which he was promoted to Ensign. During the Vicksburg campaign in his hometown, Zimmerman was placed in charge of a mortar boat and sent up the Yazoo River, making a successful run against the Confederate blockade at Vicksburg in April 1863. During the campaign, he was involved in several missions and was promoted to acting Master and Officer of the side wheel steamer USS Ouachita after the surrender of Vicksburg which he held until the end of the War. During the siege, his former home and his father's business were destroyed.