Born in New York City, he was the son of Edward Carman Rushmore and Mary Eliza (née Dunn) Rushmore, of
Tuxedo Park, New York. In 1885 Rushmore came to the
Black Hills of South Dakota to check the titles to properties for an eastern mining company owned by James Wilson following the 1883 opening of the
Etta tin mine. How Mount Rushmore came to be named after Charles is subject to contradictory recounting, but the
United States Board of Geographic Names officially recognized the name in June 1930, five years after Rushmore donated $5,000 () towards
Gutzon Borglum's sculpture. The memorial was dedicated by President
Calvin Coolidge on August 10, 1927, though Rushmore was ill at the time and could not attend the event. Rushmore was a member of the
Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and a
Freemason. He was married to Jeanette E. Carpenter. He was a senior partner in the firm Rushmore, Bisbee, and Stern. He died in New York City on October 30, 1931. == Notes ==