John Hasbrouck Gosman , Jr.

He was Vice President of the Suffolk County Canning Company of Northport, Long Island, N.Y., which at birth was financed by his father, though its real origin was a venture of self support through canning in the home and selling in small quantities by John H. Gosman Jr. and his wife Lillian (writer of the Hasbrouck family history). The company was solvent when his father passed away and was the following year re-incorporated as The Long Island Food Products Company of which John became president. This company was short lived and went into bankruptcy. John then migrated with his wife and two daughters to New Haven, Connecticut, and entered the art field. He had previously painted and done sculpturing as a hobby but in New Haven he followed it professionally and there became known as an artist. John was a great lover of water sports --- as a swimmer he had unusual endurance and many times after his day's work his wife would watch him swim out to Sperry Light, a lighthouse in Long Island Sound off the short from West Haven where they lived. He was an easy person to live with, had a very generous nature and was always sympathetic with those who had little of this world's fine things. By extending credit he lost much money during 1929-32 and in 1938 he migrated with his wife and daughter Beverly to Washington D.C. On arrival he had less than $50.00 in cash but he was never one to be disheartened and a job at plain house-painting sustained the small family for a short time. In 1940 Lillian, his wife, started with the U.S. Government Civil Service as secretary to General Porter of Chemical Warfare and remained with him until 1944. John was by then well planted in his beloved field of work --- art. However, it was not until 1950 that he did his first work in the U.S. Capital Building and Lillian, his wife, who had taken a short course at Yale Art School when her husband was studying there also at night was competent to be his co-worker. As a team they became well known at the U.S. Capitol and various government buildings where they were frequently called for painting, restoration and gilding embracing all phases of art. Early in 1957 they were given a commitment of forty-three restorations at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, VA, and a second commitment of forty-nine restorations. However, John passed away at the College before the first commitment was even a quarter finished. With the very kind help (never to be forgotten) of her daughter, Constance, the commitment was completed by Lillian in due time. John was about 5'7 1/2" in height, had a mass of brown curly hair when a boy which whitened before he was fifty years of age. He was rather robust in stature and had brown eyes with a soft expression and when he smiled they twinkled. His hearty laugh was most infectious. In 1957 a stroke, most unexpected, took him out of this world. The following obituary is taken from a newspaper article (source unknown): J.H. Gosman, [...] Numerous Capitol Paintings --------------------------------------------- John Hasbrouck Gosman, who restored numerous paintings at the Capitol, died yesterday in Williamsburg, Va., where he was doing restoration work on paintings for William and Mary College. Mr. Gosman worked on the cleaning and restoration of the Discovery of the Mississippi and the Signing of the Declaration of Independence which hang in the Capitol rotunda, as well as numerous portraits in both the House and Senate wings, during the restoration work on the building in 1950. He also did the restoration of the portraits of George Washington and Gen. Lafayette which flank the Speaker's rostrum in the House of Representatives. Mr. Gosman, who had lived in Washington 19 years, [....] work. He had recently refinished several frames for the Corcoran Art Gallery. At the time of his death, Mr. Gosman had been working on the development of a gilding kit for do-it-yourself hobbyists to finish picture frames. A native of New York City, he was the son of John Hasbrouck and Sarah Jane Bolstridge Gosman, and a direct descendant of Gen. Abraham Hasbrouck, who fought in the American Revolution. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Lillian Briggs Gosman, of 8023 Eastern Avenue, Silver Spring, two daughters, Mrs. Harold Bernard, of Johnstown, Pa., and Mrs. Harry A. Latimer, of 1023 Stirling road, Silver Spring; a brother Clarence, of Long Island, N.Y., and four grandchildren. Graveside services will be held at 1:30 tomorrow in Parklawn Cemetery.