In 1920, Chicago Commons was informed by the Merchants’ Loan & Trust Company that the organization was one of 10 beneficiaries of a fund established by Hobart W. Williams of Cheshire, Connecticut, in memory of his parents, Eli B. and Harriet B. Williams.
Eli and Harriet settled in Chicago in 1833 at what is now the corner of Wabash and Monroe Streets when the population of the city numbered only 200. Eli was a grocer and financier; he built a store on S. Water St., making his fortune in real estate and public utilities. In contrast, little is known about the life of Hobart with the notable exception of his generous philanthropy.
When Chicago Commons founder Graham Taylor visited an aged Hobart at his home in Connecticut to thank him for his generosity to his native city and state, he found a modest, reserved man of nearly 80 who lived simply and spoke little. He stated, “As the money came from Chicago and Illinois it should return there. I am glad to have it do any good.”
Though little known in his own village, Hobart W. Williams left several million dollars in unexpected gifts to the city of Chicago. Since his passing in 1921, the Williams family estate has generated over $3 million in general operating revenue for essential programs at Chicago Commons thereby creating a lasting legacy of generosity and community building that has helped untold thousands to thrive.
Interested in learning more about including Chicago Commons in your estate plans? Call Cheryl Wisniewski, Vice President of Development, at (773) 826-4256 or email at Cheryl@ChicagoCommons.org.
