Today in Wheeling History: February 2—Morgan Otto Heiskell, future National Geographic photographer and father of publishing magnate Andrew Heiskell, is born in Wheeling (1881).
Born in Wheeling, Ohio County, on February 2, 1881, Morgan Otto Heiskell was the son of hardware executive William Paxton Heiskell and Cathrine “Kate” Burt, a family rooted in the city’s commercial life through the Ott-Heiskell hardware concern. Growing up in this milieu of merchants and civic boosters likely exposed him early to both business discipline and a wider curiosity about the world, even as Wheeling was transforming from a river and industrial town into a regional cultural center. Though specific records of his Wheeling schooling are scarce, his later cosmopolitan life suggests a solid early education and family means that enabled travel and artistic training.
Heiskell married Ann Moore Hubbard—herself from Wheeling—in a union that linked two prominent local families before the couple relocated abroad. They became part of an expatriate, bohemian circle in Italy and France, where Morgan developed as an artist and photographer. His images, some of which appeared in "National Geographic", reflected a roaming eye that eventually took him to places as distant as Moroni in the Comoros Islands. Morgan and Ann had two children, Diana, born in Paris, and Andrew, born in Naples—Andrew later becoming the influential chairman and CEO of Time Inc.
In his later years, Morgan lived in Moroni before settling in Lugano, Switzerland, where he died on April 19, 1967. His exact burial place remains unknown, but his life traced a remarkable arc from Wheeling’s hillsides to a global photographic career.
To learn more: Find a Grave https://tinyurl.com/2vetshmk) (https://tinyurl.com/4eujh343) (https://tinyurl.com/27a74j5y), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/y8cb4uks), FamilySearch (https://tinyurl.com/hmk5br26), Friends of Wheeling (https://jfinstein.wixsite.com/friends-of-wheeling/1-echo-point)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling WV
Born in Wheeling, Ohio County, on February 2, 1881, Morgan Otto Heiskell was the son of hardware executive William Paxton Heiskell and Cathrine “Kate” Burt, a family rooted in the city’s commercial life through the Ott-Heiskell hardware concern. Growing up in this milieu of merchants and civic boosters likely exposed him early to both business discipline and a wider curiosity about the world, even as Wheeling was transforming from a river and industrial town into a regional cultural center. Though specific records of his Wheeling schooling are scarce, his later cosmopolitan life suggests a solid early education and family means that enabled travel and artistic training.
Heiskell married Ann Moore Hubbard—herself from Wheeling—in a union that linked two prominent local families before the couple relocated abroad. They became part of an expatriate, bohemian circle in Italy and France, where Morgan developed as an artist and photographer. His images, some of which appeared in "National Geographic", reflected a roaming eye that eventually took him to places as distant as Moroni in the Comoros Islands. Morgan and Ann had two children, Diana, born in Paris, and Andrew, born in Naples—Andrew later becoming the influential chairman and CEO of Time Inc.
In his later years, Morgan lived in Moroni before settling in Lugano, Switzerland, where he died on April 19, 1967. His exact burial place remains unknown, but his life traced a remarkable arc from Wheeling’s hillsides to a global photographic career.
To learn more: Find a Grave https://tinyurl.com/2vetshmk) (https://tinyurl.com/4eujh343) (https://tinyurl.com/27a74j5y), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/y8cb4uks), FamilySearch (https://tinyurl.com/hmk5br26), Friends of Wheeling (https://jfinstein.wixsite.com/friends-of-wheeling/1-echo-point)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling WV
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