Biographies

Inspector General of the Union Army and early landowner on the west side of Downers Grove. Early Life Arthur Charles Ducat was born on February 24, 1830, into a well-off family in Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire), County Dublin, Ireland. In 1842, when he was still a teenager, his father passed away, leaving many debts. This changed his life entirely. He was sent to apprentice as a merchant but found he was ill-suited for the profession and went back to school to study civil engineering. Money was needed to support his family, so at 15, he joined the military. An unexpected growth spurt was so difficult on his body and health that he was labeled “infirm” and released from his military service in Ireland. He immigrated to Chicago, Illinois, in 1851, where he worked as a civil engineer and insurance agent.