This black and white illustration shows Charles Boswell, (1802-1884), benefactor for Washburn University. Boswell was born in 1802 in Norwich, Connecticut, where he made his fortune as a wholesale grocer and banker. In the latter part of his life he was also associated with the Hartford Fire Insurance Company. When Boswell moved to West Hartford, Connecticut, in 1860, his interest turned to education and helping struggling colleges in the west. One of the many colleges that benefited from his financial assistance was Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas. In 1884, Boswell gave the college ten thousand dollars toward the building of a library with the stipulation that five thousand additional dollars were to be raised. The challenge was meet and when the native limestone structure was completed, in 1886, the building was dedicated the Boswell Library. Boswell also established a $10,000.00 endowment at Washburn in memory of his only son who died during his junior year at Yale University. When Boswell passed away in October of 1884, he left provisions in his will that established a trust fund for Washburn and made the college a one-third residuary legatee of his estate.