Horace Capron

Horace Capron
Capron c. 1860–65
United States Commissioner of Agriculture
In office
December 4, 1867  July 31, 1871
PresidentAndrew Johnson
Ulysses S. Grant
Preceded byIsaac Newton
Succeeded byFrederick Watts
Personal details
Born(1804-08-31)August 31, 1804
Attleboro, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedFebruary 22, 1885(1885-02-22) (aged 80)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting placeOak Hill Cemetery
Children6, including Horace
AwardsOrder of the Rising Sun
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
  Union Army
Years of service1862–1865
RankBrevet Brigadier General (after active service)
Commands14th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry
Battles/wars

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 secretary of agriculture under U.S. presidents 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.