H. Louis Dousman | |
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| Born | April 3, 1848 Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin |
| Died | January 13, 1886 (aged 37) Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin |
| Spouse |
Nina Linn Sturgis (m. 1873) |
| Signature | |
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Hercules Louis Dousman II (April 3, 1848 – January 13, 1886), better known as Louis Dousman, was notable as a wealthy Midwestern socialite and art collector. He was the heir to the estate of Wisconsin millionaire Hercules Louis Dousman, who had made a career in Prairie du Chien. Dousman had a new mansion built on the site of his family's house, and then soon moved away, living for years in St. Paul, Minnesota, and St. Louis, Missouri. In both cities he moved in upper social circles.[1]
After his mother's death in 1882, Dousman began to develop the family property to establish a stock farm and racing for Standardbred horses. He built a racetrack and started an annual race in July 1883. He returned to the city in 1885, establishing the Artesian Stock Farm, but died unexpectedly the next year before getting it well underway. His widow closed the farm and named the mansion as Villa Louis after Louis Dousman. It has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.
- ^ "History of Villa Louis - Villa Louis". Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2009.