Nathan Cole (July 26, 1825 – March 4, 1904) was an American politician and businessman. A Republican, he was the Mayor of St. Louis and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri.
Early life and education
Cole was born on July 26, 1825, in St. Louis.[1] The son of Nathan Cole Sr., he descended from the settlers of Plymouth Colony.[2] His father was born in New York, and due to lackluster transportation, walked 100 miles (160 km) from Cairo, Illinois, to St. Louis in his journey there.[3] Cole was possibly the first person born in St. Louis after its incorporation as a city.[4] Educated at common schools, he attended Shurtleff College; he later spent two years working for the college.[2]
Career
Beginning in 1843, Cole began work as a merchant in St. Louis.[2] For 43 years, he was director of the St. Louis Bank of Commerce, spending a majority of that time as its vice-president. He headed other corporations, such as insurance companies. In 1876, he was president of the Merchants Exchange.[1]
Cole was a Republican.[5] From 1869 to 1871, he was the Mayor of St. Louis, and while in office, protected former Confederate States Army soldiers.[3] He represented Missouri’s 2nd district in the United States House of Representatives, serving from March 4, 1877, to March 3, 1879. He lost the following election.[1] He was a delegate to etiher the 1892 ot 1896 Republican National Convention.[2][5]
After serving in Congress, Cole returned to working as a businessman.[1] He retired c. 1889.[3]
Personal life and death
He was a Baptist, being baptized in Wood River, Illinois.[2] On January 30, 1851, he married Rebecca Lane Fagin; they had eleven children together, including Nathan Cole Jr., a founder of the Los Angeles Times.[6] His net worth was estimated at $750,000. He died on March 4, 1904, aged 78, in St. Louis, from apoplexy. His last words were “this is my end. I am gone”, which he said while falling into his servant’s arms.[3] He was buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e “Cole, Nathan”. bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e Maple, Joseph Cowgill; Rider, Richard Price (1914). Missouri Baptist Biography. Missouri Baptist Historical Society. pp. 287–299.
- ^ a b c d “Apoplexy Causes Sudden Death of St Louis Financer”. Missouri Republican. March 5, 1904. p. 2. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ “Nathan Cole Dead”. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. March 5, 1904. p. 6. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ a b “The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Cole”. politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ “Early-Day Editor Is Summoned”. Los Angeles Times. December 8, 1921. p. I-1. Retrieved July 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
