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Celebrating 140 Years • The Hartford Club 5 S amuel Langhorne Clemens (more famously known as Mark Twain) and Charles A. Lindbergh are just two of the great persons in history who have walked the halls of e Hartford Club during its 140 years in existence. It might come as no surprise to many that Twain was a club member. Aer all, a bust of the great American writer, perhaps the most famous Hartford resident ever, sits in the lobby of e Hartford Club at 46 Prospect St. His home on Farmington Avenue, meanwhile, remains one of the city's great museums. But did you know that Lindbergh visited e Hartford Club for a testimonial dinner in his honor just two months aer making history as the first person to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean? e testimonial was July 27, 1927, while his record-making flight was May 20-21, 1927. ere have been many other instances over the years when the great and the near great have either visited or been members of e Hartford Club. To this day it's not unusual to see former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who guided NYC following the tragic and tumultuous events of 9/11, using the club's Cigar Bar whenever he is in Hartford. So, we're celebrating e Hartford Club's 140th Anniversary this year. e club was organized during a two-month period of August – October 1873. Since then it has grown to be a powerful force that has helped shape Hartford and indeed, Connecticut. Many plans for economic development and for state legislation have been crystalized while Connecticut's top business and political leaders discussed the details while having lunch, dinner or drinks at e Hartford Club. In fact such meetings are still being conducted. As recently as August 2013, CTMirror. com wrote about a meeting at e Hartford Club between leaders of the University of Connecticut (UConn) and the City of Hartford concerning UConn's proposed purchase of the nearby former Hartford Times building on Prospect Street. e proposal entails moving UConn's West Hartford campus to downtown Hartford — specifically to the old Hartford Times building. H istory 140 Years with Twain, Lindbergh and Other Greats A Brief Timeline of The Hartford Club >>> 1874 Connecticut General Assembly approves the incorporation of The Hartford Club. 1800 1873 First meeting of "Gentlemen who had agreed to form an Association for the promotion of social intercourse, art and literature" held August 8th. The "Trumbull House" at 53 Prospect Street leased for the clubhouse and Club opens for business with 60 Members. 1875 Incandescent electric lights installed in the clubhouse. 1881 Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) accepted as a member. Club has 78 members including Cadwell Colt of Colt Firearms and Richard L. Gattling, inventor of the Gattling Gun. 1882 Club moves to the Wadsworth Mansion at the corner of Prospect and Atheneum streets with $10,000 spent to refurbish the new clubhouse. 1885 Members hold party for visiting entertainer William "Buffalo Bill" Cody. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani, right, frequents The Hartford Club when he's in town because it has the only private cigar lounge in town. He is with former U.S. Atty. for Connecticut Kevin O'Connor. Currently O'Connor is Vice President, Global Compliance and Ethics for United Technologies Corporation. 1 2