Hoyt Playground

Edwin Hoyt (1804-1874) was a businessman who lived in Astoria in the 1800s. he was the millionaire senior partner in Hoyt, Sprague, and Co., a dry goods business, with Governor William Sprague of Rhode Island. Hoyt’s son, Edwin Chase Hoyt, and Governor Sprague’s son both married daughters of Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury under President Abraham Lincoln, and later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. When Hoyt died on May 15, 1874, at the age of 70, all prominent dry goods businessmen kept their doors closed on the morning of his funeral out of respect for the deceased.

Sources:

"Hoyt Playground," New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, accessed January 11, 2024, https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/hoyt-playground

"Edwin Hoyt memorial," FindAGrave.com, accessed January 11, 2024, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/201375312/edwin-hoyt