Page 27 - 88-BOOK2

Featured in "Man at Arms" from November/December 1979
Captain J.R. Hegeman, Jr.
John R. Hegeman Jr. (1872-1923) of Brooklyn, New York, was the son of influential American businessman John R. Hegeman Sr. (1844-1919), the president of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company who oversaw the construction of the famous Met Life Tower. The younger Hegeman was an assistant secretary and director of the company. Hegeman was as an important and somewhat secretive early Colt collector. Using
his wealth and apparent connections with the company, he amassed a large collection of fine Colts, including his fascinating Single Action Army that follows which was noted by R.L. Wilson as the “first Colt commemorative” thanks to its factory inscriptions. He was also clearly a fan of General Nelson A. Miles given his presentation of the
beautiful special Model 1895 carbine to Miles. Hegeman Sr. and Miles were part of some of the same social groups, so Hegeman Jr. may have personally met Miles at least once.
In addition to being a fan of Miles,
a military hero with connections
to New York, Hegeman was clearly
fascinated with the West and the
Indian Wars given the inscriptions on
his Colt Single Action Army as well as
his acquisition of a ranch in Montana.
His interest in firearms was also
reflected in his long service as an officer in the New York National Guard, including as inspector of small arms practice.
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