SAGE Henry Williams, donor, born in Middletown,
Connecticut, 31 January, 1814. He is a descendant of David Sage, who settled in
Middletown in 1652. His father, Charles, was shipwrecked on the coast of Florida
in 1838, and murdered by Indians.
The boy's preparation for Yale at Bristol, Connecticut,
was interrupted by his removal to Ithaca, New York, and in 1832 he entered
mercantile life. In 1854 he established a lumber-manufactory on Lake Simcoe,
Canada, and later, with John McGraw, another at Wenona (now West Bay City),
Michigan, which at that time was one of the largest in the world. Mr. Sage was
one of the most extensive landholders of Michigan.
From 1857 till 1880 he resided in Brooklyn, and was an
active member of Plymouth Church. He took much interest in founding Cornell
University, and in 1873 erected there a college hall for women, which is known
as Sage College. After the death of Ezra Cornell he was made president of the
board of trustees of Cornell University.
He endowed the Lyman Beecher lectureship on preaching at
Yale, and built and presented to West Bay City, Michigan, a public library at a
cost of $30,000. Mr. Sage has also endowed and built several churches and
schools. In 1847 he served in the New York legislature.
Edited Appletons Encyclopedia by John Looby, Copyright © 2001 StanKlos.comTM