I hope this email finds you well. Below, you'll find updates on district resources and news. Please feel free to reach out to my office if you have any questions or concerns.
The topics covered in this e-newsletter are as follows:
Today In CT History
State Update
Manchester Community Events and Information
East Hartford Community Events and Information
Today In CT History
Today in 1837, John Pierpont Morgan, one of the most famous businessmen and financiers in American history, was born in Hartford.
Born into a wealthy and influential Connecticut family, J. P. Morgan was groomed to be a successful financier from an early age. He quickly moved up the ranks of his father’s banking companies in London and New York, slowly but steadily consolidating his business networks and influence throughout the latter half of the 19th century.
J. P. Morgan, circa 1902. (Library of Congress)
Morgan played a role in creating some of the most recognizable corporations in United States history, often by buying out competing businesses and reorganizing them into one larger and more efficient company. Three of his most successful mergers resulted in the creation of General Electric in 1891, J. P. Morgan and Company (now J. P. Morgan Chase Bank) in 1895, and the United States Steel Company in 1901, which was the world’s first billion-dollar corporation.
Morgan wielded an outsized influence on U.S. banking, business, and even government. In 1895, when the U.S. Treasury was close to bankruptcy owing to the Panic of 1893, Morgan arranged to sell a portion of his companies’ own gold reserves to the government in exchange for a massive 30-year bond. It saved the federal treasury (and U.S. economy) but alarmed many critics and politicians. In 1907, he helped deflect the damage from yet another financial panic by arranging a massive private-sector “bailout” of several large New York banks. Though Morgan had prevented financial disaster twice, progressive-era politicians and reformers saw his intervention as proof that increased federal oversight of America’s sprawling banking industry was needed. Their concern led to the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913.
After his death in 1913, Morgan was buried alongside many other distinguished Connecticut citizens in Cedar Hill Cemetery, in the city of his birth. Among his notable contributions to Hartford was the financial support he provided for both the Wadsworth Atheneum and the city’s stunning Beaux-Arts municipal building. A towering giant of the American financial industry who never forgot his Hartford roots, was born today in Connecticut history.
April 22nd, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm Great Path Academy Common Room @CTState Manchester 60 Bidwell Street, Manchester, CT 06040 Come join the Manchester & East Hartford Delegation at the Great Path Academy Common Room, for an interactive discussion on the State Budget. For any questions please call (860) 240-8541.
Please note that workshops will be held in the Lincoln Center Hearing Room at 5:30 p.m.
The meeting will be open to the public, and we encourage residents to attend in-person or remotely by means of video conferencing. Individuals who wish to speak remotely must complete a Request to Speak form by 4:00 p.m. the day of the meeting. The meeting link will be sent to registered individuals prior to the meeting.
Join us to celebrate Arbor Day with activities for the whole family. The program will start with a short walk in Center Memorial Park. Town Historian Susan Barlow will talk about the park’s history, and a representative of the Connecticut College Arboretum will provide information about trees in the park. The walk will include children’s activities. After the walk, there will be additional family activities in the Howroyd Room. Light refreshments will be provided. This is a free program; no registration required.
Sponsored by the Manchester Conservation Commission.
Hartford-born Frederick Law Olmsted was among the first to regard landscape architecture as a profession and a fine art. With partner Calvert Vaux, he virtually created that profession. To Olmsted, a park was both a work of art and a necessity for urban life.
Learn about Olmsted's efforts to preserve nature and his many accomplishments through this film on Thursday, April 24, at 6:30 PM. A brief discussion of Olmsted's connections to Hartford and East Hartford and important local sites will follow.
East Hartford, CT— The Town of East Hartford in collaboration with the East Hartford Veterans Commission are excited to announce that the third annual East Hartford’s Memorial Day parade and series of events will take place Monday, May 26, 2025 at 10 AM.
The event will consist of three parts, including a parade, program at the Fallen Star Memorial and celebration of East Hartford. The parade will begin promptly at 10 AM, proceeding from 9 Riverside Drive to the Fallen Star Memorial located at Goodwin University. The parade will be followed by a program at the Fallen Star Memorial and a family-friendly celebration of East Hartford with food trucks, music and activities.
PARTICIPANTS:
Those who would like to march in the Memorial Day Parade are asked to register by Monday, May 5, 2025. Participant Registration
VOLUNTEERS:
If you are interested in volunteering at the 2025 Memorial Day Parade, please register by Monday, May 5, 2025. Event Volunteer Registration
SPONSORS:
To make the event possible, the town would like to extend sponsorship opportunities to local businesses and organizations. Those who wish to sponsor the event or offer in-kind services, please fill out the electronic form below by Monday, April 14, 2025.Sponsorship Information
VENDORS:
If you are interested in being a vendor at the 2025 Memorial Day Parade, please register by Monday, May 5, 2025. Vendor Booth Registration
