Charles Tufts

Charles Tufts (July 16, 1781 – December 24, 1876) was an American businessman and philanthropist.

Charles Tufts

Biography

Tufts was born in Medford, Massachusetts, the son of Abigail and Daniel Tufts.[1] He was a descendant of Peter Tufts, an early colonist who came to America from England circa 1637. He received a common-school education.[2] He made a fortune through his brickmaking factory, and inherited a large amount of land.[2] Tufts donated 20 acres (8.1 hectares) of land in Medford, Massachusetts, for what was to be named Tufts University. In time, Charles Tufts donated another 80 acres (32 hectares), bringing the campus area to 100 acres (40 hectares). He married Hannah Robinson in 1821, but had no children.

He died in Somerville, Massachusetts, which is also home to part of the Tufts University campus, and was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge.

Legacy

References

  1. Tufts, Jay Franklin (1963). "Tufts Family History: A True Account and History of Our Tufts Families, from and Before 1638-1963".
  2. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1900). "Tufts, Charles" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.


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