Horace Capron Horace Capron ( August 31 , 1804 – February 22 , 1885 ) was an American businessman and agriculturalist , a founder of Laurel , Maryland , a Union officer in the American Civil War , the United States Commissioner of Agriculture under U . S . President s Andrew Johnson and Ulysses S . Grant , and an advisor to Japan ' s Hokkaidō Development Commission . His collection of Japanese art and artifacts was sold to the Smithsonian Institution after his death . Early life . Horace Capron was born in Attleboro , Massachusetts , the son of Seth Capron and his wife Eunice Mann Capron . His sister was Louisa Thiers ( 1814 – 1926 ) , who in 1925 became the first verified person to reach age 111 . His father , a doctor of medicine , opened woollen mills in New York State including Whitesboro , and from this experience Horace went on to supervise several cotton mills including Savage Mill in Savage , Maryland . He was also an officer in the Maryland Militia in the 1830s . In 1834 , Horace married Louisa Victoria Snowden , whose late father Nicholas had owned Montpelier Mansion . This marriage brought lands and property . They had six children before Louisa died in 1849 : Nicholas Snowden Capron , who died in infancy ; Adeline Capron , who died at age 17 in Illinois ; Horace Capron , Jr . , who after being killed in the Civil War ; Albert Snowden Capron ; Elizabeth Capron Mayo ; and Osmond Tiffany Capron . Capron was involved in the mechanization of cotton mills beginning in 1835 , having worked in mills from boyhood in Massachusetts and New York . In 1836 he was a major force in forming the Patuxent Manufacturing Company , a cotton mill on the Patuxent River , and with this effort he and associates started what became the town of Laurel Factory , later Laurel , Maryland . In 1851 the mill failed , and Capron declared bankruptcy . Soon after , he obtained an appointment from the President to assist in removal and resettlement of Native Americans from Texas following the Mexican - American War . He spent several months in Texas , and then moved to a farm near Hebron , Illinois where his mother Eunice and sister Louisa Thiers had settled and were taking care of his children . Here , he built an imposing mansion . In Illinois , he was remarried to Margaret Baker and took up farming in earnest , experimenting with farming improvements , writing articles , participating in events and receiving awards for his work . Military service . In the American Civil War , Capron was called upon to establish and later lead the 14th Illinois Cavalry regiment . He was the oldest cavalry officer in the Union Army . Seeing action in a number of skirmishes and battles , ranging from Kentucky to Georgia , and losing his eldest son in battle , he left the army with an injury in 1864 and was later given the rank of Brevet Brigadier General dated to February 13 , 1865 . His earlier experiences led to an appointment in 1867 as a Commissioner in the Department of Agriculture for the United States Government . Japan . Capron was asked by Kiyotaka Kuroda , a vice - chairman of the visiting the United States , to be a special advisor to the commission in Hokkaidō , Japan . Capron agreed and travelled to Hokkaidō 1870 - 71 as a foreign advisor . The Japanese government paid him $ 10 , 000 plus expenses to undertake this mission , which was a tremendous sum for the time . Capron needed the money , as his son Osmond had been blinded in a hotel fire , and now depended on Capron for support . Capron spent four years in Hokkaidō , suggesting numerous ways that the frontier island could be developed . He introduced large - scale farming with American methods and farming implements , imported seeds for western fruits , vegetables and crops , and introduced livestock , including his favorite Devon and Durham cattle . He established experimental farms , had the land surveyed for mineral deposits and farming opportunities , and recommended water , mill , and road improvements . His recommendation that wheat and rye be planted in Hokkaidō due to similarities in climate with parts of the United States also led to the establishment of Sapporo Beer , one of Japan ' s first breweries . He contributed to the urban planning for Sapporo city with an American - style grid plan with streets at right - angles to form city blocks . Capron ' s tenure in Japan was not without controversy . Articles appeared in both Japan and the United States by former associates attacking his work and his personal competency . He was often frustrated with delays in the implementation of his suggestions , or on occasion the rejection of his suggestions by more conservative members of the government . However , Kuroda Kiyotaka , future Prime Minister of Japan , was a close and trusted friend . Capron admired the Ainu of Hokkaidō , whom he compared favorably to his experiences with Native Americans . From his journals , it appears that he also admired the Japanese , although he regarded them as semi - barbaric , and firmly believed that rapid adoption of Western culture would be in Japan ' s best interest . During his stay in Japan , Capron was honored with three audiences with Emperor Meiji , who took a close personal interest in his work in the development of Hokkaidō . In 1884 , nine years after he departed Japan , Horace Capron was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun ( 2nd class ) for his services in transforming Hokkaidō . Final period . After his time in Japan , Capron continued his contacts with the country , including acting as a purchasing agent for livestock and military equipment , and selling his house on N Street in Washington , D . C . to be the site of Japan ' s first Embassy . He was also engaged in writing his memoirs during this period . Capron attended the dedication of the Washington Monument on February 21 , 1885 . The extreme cold of the day , recorded at 12° Fahrenheit ( −11° Celsius ) , was too much for the 80 - year - old Horace Capron ; he suffered a stroke , and died the following day . He is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown , Washington , D . C . . During his period in Japan , Capron amassed a large collection of Japanese art and antiques . After his death , his widow Margaret sold the collection to the Smithsonian , where it became one of the foundations of the Smithsonian ' s Asian collection .