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Reuben Webster Millsaps

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Reuben Webster Millsaps
Born(1833-05-30)May 30, 1833
DiedJune 28, 1916(1916-06-28) (aged 83)
OccupationBusinessman

Reuben Webster Millsaps (May 30, 1833 - June 28, 1916) was an American businessman, financier and philanthropist.

Early years

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Millsaps was born on May 30, 1833, into a farming family in Pleasant Valley, Copiah County, Mississippi, one of nine siblings.[1] He was of English, Scots-Irish, and Welsh descent. William Green Millsaps was his brother.

Reuben Millsaps attended Indiana Asbury College, now known as DePauw University, and Harvard University Law School, where he earned a law degree.[citation needed]

Civil War

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He fought in the American Civil War as a soldier in the Confederate States Army and was wounded twice during the war. He attained the military rank of Major.

Postbellum career

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After returning from the war he pursued a successful career in business and finance. He was President of Capital State Bank in Jackson, Mississippi.[citation needed]

Philanthropy

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In 1890, Millsaps donated US$550,000, which was matched by contributions from Mississippi's Methodist community, for the creation of "a Christian college within the borders of our state".[2][3] The college is now known as Millsaps College and is located in Jackson, Mississippi.[2][3] He devoted the rest of his life to the building and running of the college.

Death

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Tomb on the campus of Millsaps College

He died at his home in Jackson on June 28, 1916, at the age of 83.[4][5] He was buried on the campus of Millsaps College in Jackson.

References

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  1. ^ Reuben Webster Millsaps, Ancestry.com. Accessed March 4, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Julie L. Kimborough, Jackson, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 1998, p. 89
  3. ^ a b Mary Carol Miller, Lost landmarks of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 1999, p. 33
  4. ^ "Maj. Millsaps Dead". The Newton Record. Jackson, Mississippi. June 29, 1916. p. 1. Retrieved December 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Maj R. W. Millsaps, Philanthropist, Dead". The Boston Globe. Jackson, Mississippi. June 29, 1916. p. 4. Retrieved December 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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