Samuel Waters Allerton was a businessman who made hundreds of millions of dollars primarily in stockyards and livestock. Allerton was the Republican Party's nominee for Chicago mayor in 1893, losing to Democratic nominee Carter Harrison Sr.
Early life
Allerton was born May 26, 1828 in Amenia, New York. Allerton was the son of Samuel Waters Allerton, Sr., a tailor and wool mill operator, and his wife Hannah Allerton. He was the youngest of nine children. Allerton was a decendent of Mayflower pilgrim Isaac Allerton. When Allerton was seven, amid his father had financially failed his family, and the family property was being auctioned off. This was reported to be a formative experience in Allerton's life. At the age of twelve, Allerton entered the workforce. The family experienced further financial diffuclty as a result of the Panic of 1837. The family moved several times, including as far west as Dubuque, Iowa, but ultimately settled on an upstate New York farm in 1942.
Adult life and career
Allerton rented and purchased farms, netting profits from them, and became a small-time livestock trader. He built up his involvement in livestock. He additionally made money in a venture transporting livestock over land when a break occurred in the rail line between Erie, Pennsylvania and Dunkirk, New York. Allerton then moved west, ending up in Illinois where he again raised cattle. He moved his cattle operations to Chicago in 1860, opening up Allerton Swine Yards at the terminus of the Hudson River Railroad. On July 1, 1860, Allerton wed Pamilla W. Thompson of Peoria, Illinois. She was the daughter of a wealthy cattle farmer. In 1863, Allerton and his wife Pamela had a daughter named Kate Renett Allerton. In 1864, Allerton was a key partner in the founding of the Pittsburgh Joint Stock Yards. Allerton was a leader in the push to consolidate Chicago's railroad stockyards into the Union Stock Yards. Allerton was a co-founder of the First National Bank of Chicago. Allerton led a group that invested $1 million to construct the St. Louis National Stockyards. Allerton also invested in stockyards located in Baltimore, Jersey City, St. Joseph, Missouri, and Omaha. In 1873, Allerton and his wife Pamela had their second child, a son named Robert Allerton. Allerton was widowed in 1880 after Pamilla died of scarlet fever. After this, he married Agnes C. Thompson, his first wife Pamilla's sister, on March 15, 1882. Agnes was 24 at the time of their wedding, whilst Allerton was 53. While he and Agnes never had any children of their own, Agnes was particularly motherly to Allerton's young son Robert, who was both her stepson and nephew. In 1893 he was the Republican nominee for mayor of Chicago. Allerton died on February 22, 1914.
Wealth and property
By the turn of the twentieth century, Allerton was among Chicago's wealthiest men. At one point, Allerton was ranked by the Chicago Tribune as the third-wealthiest man in Chicago, behind only Marshall Field and J. Ogden Armour. Allerton was a regular presence on Chicago's society pages. Allerton owned a privatePullman railcar. Allerton had a residence on Chicago's prestigious Prairie Avenue. He also maintained homes in Lake Geneva and Pasadena. Allerton owned stockyards and farms throughout the Midwestern United States.
