William Shakespeare Caldwell (February 11, 1821 – May 23, 1874) was an American philanthropist.
Contents
Early life
Caldwell was born on February 11, 1821, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was the eldest son of English-born American James H. Caldwell and Maria Carter (née Hall) Wormeley Caldwell (1784–1859). His mother was the widow of Warner Wormeley of Rose Gill. From that marriage, he had an elder half-brother, Dr. Carter Warner Wormeley. His father was a theatre actor and entrepreneur who owned the New Orleans Gas Light Company.
His maternal grandparents were Dr. Elisha Hall (family physician to Mary Washington) and Caroliana (née Carter) Hall (a daughter of Charles Carter, the longtime member of the Virginia House of Burgesses).
Career
Caldwell is considered "one of Louisville's first multimillionaires", he used his inheritance to acquire several large tracts of land in Louisville, including at Brook and Breckinridge Streets as well as parts of downtown Louisville and the land that became Bowman Field, Seneca Park and part of Cherokee Park. After the U.S. Civil War, Caldwell and his wife moved to New York City. At the same time, they bought an Italianate style cottage in Newport, Rhode Island on the southeast corner of Kay and Ayrault Streets that formerly belonged to Boston merchant Caleb Chace.