George Templeton Strong
George Templeton Strong entered the world at 50 Franklin Street in New York City on the 26th of January 1820. His family background placed him within the city's established circles from birth. He received his early education at Columbia Grammar School before graduating with high honors from Columbia College in 1838. That same year he took the role of president for the Philolexian Society. The young graduate then joined the law practice run by his father. This business eventually evolved into Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, which stands today as the nation's oldest operating law firm.
On the 15th of May 1848, Strong married Ellen Ruggles inside Grace Church in New York. She was a gifted amateur singer and the daughter of Samuel B. Ruggles. Their household became deeply musical as both husband and wife performed together as amateurs. They raised three children including a son named George Templeton Strong who later became a noted Romantic composer and painter. The elder Strong served as president of the New York Philharmonic Society for several years. In 1853 he was elected a trustee of Columbia College while also serving many years as a vestryman at Trinity Church on Wall Street. He helped found the United States Sanitary Commission to aid wounded soldiers during the Civil War. He held the positions of treasurer and executive committee member throughout that conflict. He also helped start the Union League Club of New York to cultivate national devotion.
Strong funded a Union Army regiment during the war while his wife Ellen served on a hospital ship. He avoided direct military service by using a section of the Enrollment Act of 1863. This act allowed draftees to pay $300 to a substitute who would serve in their place. That amount represented a healthy sum in 1863 but did not remain the norm for long. George Templeton Strong paid a big Dutch boy of about twenty dollars one thousand one hundred to be his alter ego in 1864. This controversy surrounded his financial support for the Union Army and his choice to hire a paid substitute rather than fight himself. Daniel Aaron later described him as perhaps the northern equivalent of South Carolina's Mary Chesnut. The historian noted Strong was quotable, opinionated, and a careful follower of events despite never occupying significant civic positions or holding special influence.
His extensive personal journals were discovered in the 1930s after decades of silence. The diary spans from the 5th of October 1835 when he was fifteen until his death nearly forty years later. It contains 2,250 pages of almost daily writing covering turbulent years before and through the Civil War. Excerpts from this massive record appear in Ken Burns's 1990 documentary The Civil War. Ric Burns also used selections for New York: A Documentary Film read by writer George Plimpton. Extensive selections were published in four volumes in 1952 and remain of interest to historians of New York City. Bibliographic collectors still seek these volumes today. In January of 2026 a new one-volume annotated edition focused on Civil War period entries appeared via the Library of America. The collection now resides within the archives of the New-York Historical Society.
Strong died in 1875 leaving behind a unique historical record. His writings provide a striking personal account of life in the 19th century. The text covers the corrupt and turbulent years in New York following the war alongside earlier events. Historians value the diary as a primary source for understanding both New York City and the Civil War era. Paula Baker described him as perhaps the northern equivalent of South Carolina's Mary Chesnut. Daniel Aaron called him the greatest diarist in American Heritage magazine in March 1988. The work offers insight into the mind of a well-placed civic leader who was very well known in New York City. It captures the perspective of someone who funded regiments while avoiding combat through payment. The documents reveal the inner thoughts of a man who lived from 1820 to 1875.
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Common questions
When and where was George Templeton Strong born?
George Templeton Strong entered the world at 50 Franklin Street in New York City on the 26th of January 1820. He received his early education at Columbia Grammar School before graduating with high honors from Columbia College in 1838.
Who did George Templeton Strong marry and what were their musical activities?
On the 15th of May 1848, George Templeton Strong married Ellen Ruggles inside Grace Church in New York. Their household became deeply musical as both husband and wife performed together as amateurs while raising three children including a son named George Templeton Strong who later became a noted Romantic composer and painter.
How did George Templeton Strong avoid direct military service during the Civil War?
George Templeton Strong avoided direct military service by using a section of the Enrollment Act of 1863 which allowed draftees to pay $300 to a substitute who would serve in their place. In 1864 he paid about twenty dollars one thousand one hundred to be his alter ego instead of fighting himself.
When were George Templeton Strong's journals discovered and how many pages do they contain?
His extensive personal journals were discovered in the 1930s after decades of silence and span from the 5th of October 1835 when he was fifteen until his death nearly forty years later. It contains 2,250 pages of almost daily writing covering turbulent years before and through the Civil War.
What happened to George Templeton Strong's diaries after his death in 1875?
The collection now resides within the archives of the New-York Historical Society and includes excerpts published in four volumes in 1952 as well as a new one-volume annotated edition focused on Civil War period entries that appeared via the Library of America in January of 2026.
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3 references cited across the entry
- 1bookThe Diary of George Templeton StrongGeorge Templeton Strong — Macmillan Company — 1952
- 2journalThe Greatest DiaristDaniel Aaron — March 1988