Alonzo Mather & the History of Mather LifeWays

Mather LifeWays is a unique not-for-profit organization originally established in 1941 as The Mather Foundation by Alonzo Mather, a humanitarian, philanthropist, and patron of the arts who created a home for "ladies of refinement" who lost their incomes when their husbands passed away.

Quick Facts About Alonzo Mather

• Alonzo was born into famous lineage on April 12, 1848, in Fairfield, New York. He was a descendent of Richard Mather, a Puritan who came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 and wrote the first book printed in America five years later. Richard had six sons, among them Increase, president of Harvard College from 1681 to 1701 and father of Cotton Mather, the fiery minister remembered for his role in the Salem witch trials and the founding of Yale University. Mather High School in Chicago was named after National Park Service founder Stephen Mather.

• A man whose legacy benefits so many today, Alonzo started his career by foregoing college at the age of 16 and going straight to work in Utica, New York. After gaining experience there, he moved to Quincy, Illinois, and then to Chicago in 1875 to start a wholesale mercantile business.

• At the age of 31, Alonzo had an experience that set the direction for the rest of his life: During an all-night train journey, Alonzo witnessed a bull killing weaker animals in the same freight car. The “shocking sight” inspired his fortune-making invention.

• Alonzo earned many patents for his work, most notably a stockcar in which livestock could be shipped without being unloaded, and food and water could be provided en route, preventing any suffering. The design earned Alonzo a gold medal from the Humane Society in 1883.

• Alonzo built the 42-story Mather Tower in Chicago and the 10-story Mather Building in Washington, D.C. He planned a bridge spanning the Niagara River from Buffalo, NY, to Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. The International Peace Bridge was dedicated in 1927, and today, The Mather Arch stands as the only monument in Canada dedicated to an American.

• Knowing that air transport was the wave of the future, at the age of 93, Alonzo was working on a plan to produce an aircraft that would sell for less than $1,000 and, in fact, had taken a patent to mass-produce metallic wings. 

The Foundation of the Foundation...

"[On a buying trip to New York] in March 1879, on account of a wreck ahead of our train, we were delayed over 10 hours. During the night, I was kept awake on account of a stock train on the siding directly opposite my section in the sleeper. As dawn approached and there was sufficient light to see, I raised my curtain and saw the most shocking sight: In the car opposite my berth were five dead and bleeding animals and a furious bull working his way from one end of the car to the other, horning the weaker animals that got in his way."

With these words, spoken before the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1933, Alonzo Mather described the beginning of the Mather Humane Stock Transportation Company. Mather was so moved by the sight of the battered animals that by the time his train arrived in New York, he had designed a new rail car. His design, which later won an award from the Humane Society, separated weaker animals from the strong during shipment. The rail companies of the time were unwilling to buy Mather's idea, so he manufactured and leased the cars himself. The business became more successful than he ever could have dreamed.

Born on April 12, 1848, in Fairfield, New York, Alonzo Clarke Mather descended from Richard Mather, a Puritan who came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635. Richard had six sons, among them Increase and Timothy. Increase became the father of Cotton Mather, the fiery minister remembered for his role in the Salem witch trials. Cotton also was instrumental in the founding of Yale University. Alonzo was a descendant of Cotton Mather's uncle, Timothy.

Alonzo Mather's family history was a source of great pride for him. He named his yacht Toxteth, after the family seat in England. Portraits of ancestors adorned the walls of his office on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, along with a genealogical chart, complete with the family coat of arms, which traced 10 generations down to himself.

Young Alonzo spent the first 19 years of his life in upstate New York, in the company of his brother, William, and his sister, Martha. Their father, also William, was an educator with a medical degree, although he never practiced medicine. William Mather headed Fairfield Academy and lectured at what is now known as Colgate University. When Alonzo graduated from Fairfield Academy, his father offered him a choice of either attending college or accepting $100 to start a business. Alonzo chose business.

With the grant from his father, 16-year-old Alonzo started a business in men's furnishings in Utica, New York. The business succeeded from the start. In 1867, it was moved to Quincy, Illinois, where the Midwest offered even greater promise. By 1875, Alonzo had moved to Chicago, where he stayed for the rest of his working life.

Even though Mather's rail car company was very successful, he wasn't content to limit himself. His inventive mind produced other innovations as well, with varying rates of success. One of his more spectacular ideas concerned the Niagara River.  Late in the 19th century, Mather had an idea about building a bridge with great water wheels underneath to supply power to surrounding areas. This was before Niagara Falls was harnessed to provide electric power. Because of opposition in the U.S. Congress, Mather wasn't able to build the bridge he wanted. But in 1927, the Peace Bridge was dedicated to him at almost the exact spot Mather had in mind.

In 1927, he had the Mather Tower built at 75 E. Wacker Drive in Chicago. At the time, this 43-story structure was the Windy City's tallest building. Today, it is a notable stop on Chicago architectural tours.

Although he was a successful businessman who indulged occasionally in luxuries such as his yacht in Lake Michigan's Burnham Harbor, Mather was a frugal man. When entertained by business associates at exclusive downtown restaurants, he often returned the favor by hosting business guests at chain cafeterias in Chicago's "Loop," favoring places such as Pixley and Ehlers. Once, on a business trip to Indianapolis, he canceled a room reservation after he found out the cost of the room was $50. After checking other hotels and finding nothing else available, Mather returned to the train station and slept on a bench.

Before his death in early 1941, Alonzo was working on a plan to produce an aircraft that would sell for less than a $1,000. In fact, he had taken out a patent to mass-produce metallic wings. At the time, World War II was engulfing the world. Once more, as unmindful of his years as he had been in his youth when he faced the Interstate Commerce Commission, Mather had anticipated the market.

Eight years before his death, Alonzo Mather decided to bequeath his fortune to build "a home for aged ladies of refinement and from good families." This wording is his own and appeared precisely this way in his will. Mather had noticed that some of his business friends were leaving their widows unable to support themselves, so he used his estate for the widows' benefit.

The Mather Home for Aged Ladies came into existence as a legal entity on January 25, 1941, the day that Alonzo Mather died. It would be March 1952, however, before the actual building was opened. Because of the country's preoccupation with World War II in the 1940s and an inflationary economy during the second half of the decade, the planning and building of The Mather Home stretched out 11 years.

The Opening of Mather Home

"It is a tragedy that in our aging population, the physical, mental, and spiritual needs of older adults have not been met and solved. We intend to do just that in our Home, and we intend to call upon the best talent available to help us do so."

With these words, Forrest Williams, then president of the Mather Home board, opened the Mather Home on June 11, 1952. Williams' statement expressed a philosophy that originated with Alonzo Mather and has guided Mather trustees and administrators for six decades.

Today, Mather LifeWays leads the way in best practices for senior living, as well as for older adults who live in the larger community. The Mather Foundation has also implemented significant research on aging and related health issues through the

Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging, a vital part of the Mather LifeWays organization.