Waldo Hutchins

Born in Brooklyn, Connecticut, Hutchins graduated from Amherst College in 1842.[1] He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1845 and commenced practice in New York City.[1]

He served as a member of the New York State Assembly in 1852.[1] From 1857 to 1869 Hutchins was a member of the Central Park board of commissioners.[1] He was a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1867.[1]

Hutchins was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-sixth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Alexander Smith.[2] He was reelected to the Forty-seventh and Forty-eighth Congresses and served from November 4, 1879 to March 3, 1885.[3] He was not a candidate for renomination in 1884 and resumed the practice of law in New York City.

In 1887, Hutchins was again appointed to New York City's Central Park Commission.[1] He served until his death in New York City on February 8, 1891.[1] He was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.[4]

In New York City's Central Park, overlooking Conservatory Water, is the Waldo Hutchins bench, a curved Concord white granite exedra outdoor bench.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] The bench is almost 4 feet (1.2 m) tall by 27 feet (8.2 m) long, and weighs several tons.[12][13] The cost of the bench was $15,000 ($320,000 in current dollar terms).[14] Its architect was Eric Gugler, and in 1932 it was executed by the Piccirilli Brothers studio, the firm that carved the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.[12]

Hutchins was married to Elizabeth Ellsworth, the daughter of William Wolcott Ellsworth and granddaughter of Oliver Ellsworth.[1] They were the parents of four children—Julia Sterling (1855-1930), Augustus Schell (1856-1948), Waldo (1858-1933), and William Ellsworth (1861-1916).[1][15]

• United States Congress. "Waldo Hutchins (id: H001009)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Waldo Hutchins at Find a Grave

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.