Jay Gould

popular name: Hamilton McKown Twombly

date_of_death: 01/11/1910

age: 60

cause_of_death: Tuberculosis of the larynx

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: Hamilton McKown Twombly was a successful American businessman husband to Florence Adele Vanderbilt Twombly. In 1892, Twombly and his wife were both included in Ward McAllister's "Four Hundred", purported to be an index of New York's best families led by Mrs. Astor, as published in The New York Times. His wife survived him by 42 years and his legacy Florham Estate - then the 10th largest residential home in America (which is now Fairleigh Dickinson University).

popular name: Edmund Dexter

date_of_death: July 24, 1862

age: 61

cause_of_death: Unknown

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: Edmund Dexter was a famous (well ... famous in the 1800s) whiskey maker and liquor distributor located in Cincinnati, Ohio. An immigrant from England, his first residency was in New York City. From there he moved to Cincinnati where he was initially involved in the liquor trade working for one of the many local dealers. When Dexter established his own liquor business in the late 1920s, he was quickly well established and thriving, according to historical records. In 1829, Dexter married Mary Ann Dellinger and they would have five sons - Charles, born in 1830; Edmund Jr., 1835; George and Julius, 1840, and Adolphus, 1844. As his boys matured, Dexter brought them into the liquor business, eventually calling it Edmund Dexter & Sons. Today he is remembered more for his historic mausoleum than for any of his whiskey's he produced in his lifetime. Upon his death, he was laid to rest at Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio.

popular name: Gilbert F. Heublein

date_of_death: March 21, 1937

age: 87

cause_of_death: Arteriosclerosis

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: German-born Gilbert F. Heublein was a prominent hotelier, restaurateur, food and liquor distributor in Hartford, Connecticut. While most people remember Gilbert for securing the license and distribution rights of A-1 Steak Sauce to the United States, his real claim to fame should be his discovery and marketing of pre-made cocktails. As the legend goes, Gilbert and his brother Louis had prepared a quantity of premixed cocktails for a large annual picnic. It rained and the event was canceled. A few days later a employee of the Heubleins was told to dispose of the unused beverages. Deciding to taste them first, he found that the drinks had suffered no deterioration and announced the discovery to his bosses. The Heubleins took note and began selling the premixed libations in their saloon and restaurant. The cocktails proved very popular with customers and increasingly became the focus of the family’s attention. With Gilbert now running the business, the new firm concentrated on the premixed cocktails such as Martinis and Manhattans, advertising them widely as Club Cocktails. Upon the enactment of Prohibition in 1920, Heublein's "secondary sideline" of A.1. Sauce served as a fortunate savior, when the production, transportation and sale of all other Heublein products became illegal in the US for the next thirteen years. Upon Gilbert’s death, the company was taken over by John G. Martin, the son of Alice Heublein and Percy Martin, Gilbert Heublein’s grandson. Through Martin’s business savvy, G.F. Heublein & Bro. acquired the rights to sell Smirnoff vodka, Don Q rum, and Jose Cuervo tequila. In 1969, Heublein, Inc. began to package pre-mixed cocktails in 8-ounce cans, such as the ‘Brass Monkey’. The company also made acquisitions outside the liquor industry with the purchase of Grey Poupon mustard in 1936 and Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1971. In 1982, Heublein, Inc was sold to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company for 1.4 billion dollars.