William P. Winchester

William Parsons Winchester (9 November 1801 – 5 August 1850) was an American colonel and wholesale merchant. The rank of Colonel was earned through his participation in the First Corps of Cadets, the organization originally formed as the bodyguard of the governor of Massachusetts. He commanded the corps from October 1842 to August 1844.

Career

Known for his sharp business sense and outgoing personality, Winchester was socially popular and a generous patron of the arts.

In 1821, his father's firm expanded with the addition his son William, to become E. A. and W. Winchester of Boston. They were wholesale merchants and soap manufactures. In 1839 upon his father's death Col. Winchester took over as head of the family wholesale business which was also a provisioner for the U.S. Navy. He also held the position of a director of the Boston Exchange Company and the Merchants Bank of Boston.

Death

Winchester died on 5 August 1850 in Watertown, Massachusetts of typhoid fever at age 49. When he died he was among the richest people in Boston.

The town of Winchester, Massachusetts was named in 1849 following a gift of $3,000 towards the construction of the Winchester Town Hall. Col. Winchester never visited the town having died suddenly soon after.

The last of his direct descendants carrying the Winchester name, Jean Winchester wife of James K. Baldwin, who was the last known Baldwin to have lived for any period in the Baldwin Mansion until her death in 1989.