Background
Born in Marshall, New York, Eastman was the son of Horace Haveland Eastman and Mary A. Gridley.
Born in Marshall, New York, Eastman was the son of Horace Haveland Eastman and Mary A. Gridley.
In December 1855, he founded a school of his own in Oswego. He moved his school to Saint Louis in spring of 1858, but due to unfortunate hiring of abolitionist teachers in pro-slavery Missouri, was forced to move again, ultimately establishing the Eastman Business College in Poughkeepsie, New York, on November 3, 1859. Through Eastman"s tireless promotion, the school eventually became one of the largest commercial schools in the United States.
The school made him rich, and he became one of the leading citizens of Poughkeepsie.
He was Mayor from 1871 to 1874, and again from 1877 until his death. His tenure as mayor is most notable in his ensuring the construction of a water filtration plant that eliminated Poughkeepsie"s reputation as "The Sickly City."
Suffering from ill health, Eastman traveled to Denver, Colorado and died there.
Eastman was a first cousin of George Eastman, of Eastman-Kodak fame.
Eastman was a member of the New York State Assembly (Dutchess Company, 2nd Doctorate) in 1872 and 1874, his primary mission there being to secure funding for a bridge across the Hudson River.