Richard Thornton Wilson

Rick Hutto: When Margaret Mitchell created her memorable characters for Gone With the Wind, she didn’t have to look far for inspiration for the swashbuckling Rhett Butler. Richard Thornton Wilson, later acknowledged as her model, was born in 1830 in modest circumstances in rural Habersham County, Georgia, outside Gainesville. He took to the road as a traveling salesman and, in Loudon, Tennessee, met and married his wife, Melissa Johnston, whose father set them up in a general store. At the outbreak of War, Wilson moved to Atlanta where his commercial experience secured a post as a major in the Confederate Commissary Department. Toward the end of the War he fled with his family, running the blockade at Wilmington, North Carolina, and escaped to London where he established himself as fiscal agent of the Confederate government. Suddenly, Wilson was rich. Although he claimed to have speculated in Confederate bonds, he would always be accused of having sold supplies belonging to the Confederate army. Wilson and his family returned to the United States with a half-million dollars cash and settled in New York City. His wife’s brothers joined him in business long enough to earn their own small fortunes before they and a sister moved to Macon where they built several mansions.

Clyde Tidwell Austin: Richard Wilson camped on Ebenezer Johnston's doorstep all night in the rain when he was trying to convince Mr. Johnston to give him a job. He got the job, of course, and later married Melissa.

He headed Northwest to Dalton, Georgia and found employment as a clerk in a store owned by Levi Brotherton, who was a Methodist clergyman and missionary. Saving his money Richard went into the "General Merchandise" business with W R High. Richard took his business on the road buying items in Atlanta, selling them or trading for cotton corps. It was during this time he met James Chambers Orme and William P Orme, who both worked for the emerging East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad. As Richard headed towards Knoxville, Tennessee one night he found himself in the town of Loudon, Tennessee, he was so tired and exhausted that he slept on the doorstep of Ebenezer Johnston's Merchantile Store. Ebenezer Johnston owned 712 acres of handsomely cultivated farmland, a large manor house and slave quarters. Ebenezer was a South Carolina native who had married Hannah Hughes who was the daughter of a wealthy Virginia family.

Richard being a hard worker had made quite an impression on the Ebenezer Johnston family. Ebenezer agreed to finance Richard's business venture, so it was no surprise that Richard also asked Ebenezer for his eldest daughter's hand in marriage, Ebenezer agreed and Richard and Melissa Clementine Johnston were married on December 23, 1852 in Roane County, Tennessee. As Richard's finances grew, he built a warehouse on Wharf Street in Loudon, Tennessee in 1852, this was with the help of his silent partner, James Chambers Orme.

On Dec 4th 1855 with much joy and excitement Richard and Melissa welcomed their first child, a daughter named Mary Rita Wilson who they called May. May would eventually married Ogden Goelet a well known New York Millionaire. May and Ogden's daughter Mary Goelet would be the future wife of the Duke of Roxburghe and became the 8th Duchess of Roxburghe.

On June 20, 1860 they welcomed their first son Marshall Orme Wilson, born in London, Tennessee and named partly for Richard's business partners. Marshall Orme was called Orme and would eventually marry Caroline "Carrie" Schermerhorn Astor the youngest daughter of William Backhouse and Caroline Webster Schermerhorn-Astor, "The Mrs. Astor" of the famed New York 400.

Richard continued to do business in Louden, but in late 1860, he moved his family Nashville, Tennessee, but when the Civil War started Richard and his family moved to Macon, Georgia where his confederate sympathies could be put to better use. During the Civil War, Richard T Wilson was appointed Commissary General of the Confederate Army by Jefferson Davis. Richard would sail to London, England as a foreign agent for the deposition of the Southern cotten crop. It was at this time that his financial luck really began to change and he turned a tidy profit.

In 1864 their 2nd daughter Lelia Belle Wilson was born in Georgia. She would marry Lord Michael Henry Herbert who became the British Ambassador and Lelia became Lady Herbert.

After the Civil War was over Richard followed many of his contemporaries and began buying up defunct railroads and moved to New York City he purchased a posh mansion at 511 5th Avenue from a former corrupt politician known as Boss Tweed. It was here the Richard and Melissa Wilson lived out the remainder of their lives. Melissa was a woman of strong character and with her wealthy family connections she was able to enter and become intimate with "Old New York Society".

In 1866, their 2nd son Richard Thornton Wilson was born, who was an investment banker, and an avid horse lover, track owner and horse racer and was in many winners circles. He would marry Marion Steedman Mason of a wealthy Boston family.

On Sep 3, 1871 Richard and Melissa had their last child another beautiful daughter; Grace Graham Wilson. Grace would eventually marry Brig. General Cornelius "Nelly" Vanderbilt III.

Richard opened the banking firm of Wilson Galloway & Co., which would later become R T Wilson & Co., His firm was the first to take up the question of the NY Subway System. He was Director of the American Cotton Oil Co., The Fourth National Bank, The Manhattan Trust Co., Castner Electrolytic Alkali Co., The National Surety Co., Union Trust Co., The United States Casualty Co. and The Mathheson Alkali Works. He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, The Union Manhattan Metropolitan, and Downtown Club's, The Automobile Club of American, The Southern Society, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The American Museum of Natural History.

It was reported in 1909 at Richard's death he was worth more than $40 million, not a bad return on an initial $40 investment.

Richard was a handsome and charismatic man and at one time was rumored to have been the inspiration for the character Rhett Butler in Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind." Mitchell started writing the book in 1926, and it was published in 1936 long after Richard had died, so he never knew of the rumor.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Oct 7 2019, 2:35:17 UTC