| In 1818 a 15-year-old Vermont-born boy, a
Mayflower Descendant (of Elder William Brewster),
was indentured in Montreal to the American Fur
Company. He was embarking on a six-month journey
by boat to the future site of Chicago, Fort
Dearborn. This was the beginning of a highly
successful career that included years of trading
with the Indians. They came to call him
Pa-pa-ma-ta-be, which is said to translate to
"The Swift Walker".
I recall a self-help book from years ago that
advised people who wanted to be successful to
walk 10% faster. The life of Hon. Gurdon
Saltonstall Hubbard seems to provide an excellent
example of the value of that sage advice.
His early fur trading adventures lead to an
impressive list of accomplishments in the Chicago
area, many of them firsts. They are said to
include:
Writing the first insurance policy in Chicago
Establishing the first packing house in Chicago
Helping organize the first Episcopal church in
Chicago
Inaugurating the first packet line between
Chicago and Buffalo
Building the Lake House, the first large hotel in
Chicago
Being one of the first trustees of the Town of
Chicago
Being a director in the Chicago Water Works
Helping organize the Chicago Board of Trade
Being a director of Chicago Banks
Being a member of the Legislature
The one that really caught my attention was
writing the first insurance policy in Chicago.
I've been in and out of Chicago numerous times
via planes, trains, and automobiles, and it's a
huge place. How many millions of insurance
policies are written in Chicago annually now? How
many have been written there during the 170 or so
years since the first policy? How many will be
written there in the future?
Could the Hon. Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard have
possibly imagined how many insurance policies
would follow his?
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