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Encyclopedia Dubuque

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DAY, William Harrison Sr.

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Ancestry: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/142845381:60525?tid=&pid=&queryId=3677ec953ea14bae97eb342dfa8fda74&_phsrc=HEg1187&_phstart=successSource

Photo courtesy: Find-a-Grave
1203 Grove Terrace. Photo courtesy: Old House Enthusiasts' Club House Tour, 2003

DAY, William Harrison Sr. (Fredericksburg, OH, 1842--Mamaroneck, NY, Feb. 12, 1921). Day came to Dubuque after the CIVIL WAR and operated a retail lumber business known as ROBB AND DAY. In 1876 this saw and planning mill was renamed Ingram, Kennedy and Day. In 1882 this company was incorporated as the STANDARD LUMBER COMPANY. Day served as its president. (1)

It is believed that Day began the habit of cutting lumber thinner than its advertised thickness. The purchase of a 2 x 4 resulted in the buyer getting wood than was about 3 5/8 inches. (2)

In 1911 losses due to FIRES in the lumberyards were a bitter memory to Day who left Dubuque permanently. He and his wife moved to New York City, but generally stayed at their summer home on Long Island Sound. They also had an apartment in Paris, France and a home in the western part of the United States. At the time of his death, he was brought back to Dubuque for burial. (3)

While serving as an officer of the lumber company, Day avoided involvement in most public offices. He served as an officer and director of the SECOND NATIONAL BANK, DUBUQUE SAVINGS BANK, and East Dubuque Savings Bank. He was one of the owners of the Hotel Julien (now HOTEL JULIEN DUBUQUE) and a trustee of the CARNEGIE-STOUT PUBLIC LIBRARY. (4)

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Source:

1. "William Harrison Day." Linwood Legacies. Online: http://www.linwoodlegacies.org/william-harrison-day-sr.html

2. Loetscher, Carole. Wood: The History of Farley & Loetscher Manufacturing Company Once the Largest Millwork Company in the World, 2017, p. 6

3. "William Harrison Day."

4. Ibid.